A Different Jutsu: Part One
by Alky Uchiha93
Summary: One small choice, Naruto figured he was no good at shadow clones. So he looked further on the Forbidden Scroll and came upon a jutsu that could push him to whole new heights...Ninja Art: Soul Drain. familial team seven, bit of swearing and could be seen as violent. you've been warned. First fic! NaruxHinaxTenxTayux?, SasuxSakuxAyaxKinx?, KakaxAnko. PART TWO: PROLOGUE IS UP!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other fictional property I may borrow an idea or two from.

Yo, Alky here. This is my first attempt at a Fanfic, I've been reading a lot over the past two years and I figured I should at least give it a go. All the stories I do will be based off of a possible Narutoverse that could've happened from a small incident, or a different decision. This one is obviously, what may have happened if Naruto chose a different jutsu from the forbidden scroll. I read a story that used a jutsu similar to the one Naruto chooses to learn, although I honestly can't remember whose story it was (think it was called Everyone has darkness?) so I apologise if you feel I should've asked first, but it's a bit late now.

Anyways, give me some reviews if you think I should continue the story. I'll put up the first few chappies asap. J

Let's get started!

Chapter 1: Ninja Art: Soul Drain

'I have to make it to Mizuki sensei's training area' Naruto thought as he ran as fast as he could away from the Hokage tower with the forbidden scroll on his back

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"Naruto has stolen the forbidden scroll of sealing from my office, I want the scroll and Naruto returned to me NOW and I will NOT accept failure, we can't let Naruto be hurt or the scroll captured" Hiruzen Sarutobi, the third Hokage of Konoha proclaimed.

"HAI HOKAGE-SAMA" a battalion of Chunnin and Jounin called.

"Move out!" And with a wave of his arm, the Shinobi of the hidden leave village disappeared in a puff of smoke.

###############################

"Let's see….Shadow clone jutsu? CRAP I suck at clones! Next, Reaper death seal? Sounds like an emo jutsu, hehe, maybe I should keep this for the teme!" Naruto laughed at his little joke while looking through the scroll. "Huh? 'Ninja art: Soul Drain…Absorbs the target into the user and gives the user access to the target's muscle memories, recently used jutsus and consciousness into their own mind.' Sounds kinda weird" Naruto wondered on its uses for a while.

"Well I gotta start somewhere, okay Soul Drain it is!"

##############################

"NARUTO"

"Hey, Iruka sensei! Wow you found me fast I was only able to learn one jutsu!"

Iruka paused and had a good look at Naruto, he was scuffed and dirty and seemed to be jumpy but focused at the same time… almost like the squirrels found in these forests. "Naruto, why did you steal the forbidden scroll? Do you know how much trouble you'll be in?"

"Nah I'll be fine! Mizuki sensei said that I'll be a Gennin after learning one of the jutsu in this scroll, Hokage-jiji won't mind if I borrowed it" Naruto yelled with a grin.

'Mizuki?' Iruka wondered suspiciously before hearing a whizzing sound. "NARUTO MOVE" he turned back to Naruto only to see him scurrying up a tree while staring into the forest just in time to avoid most of few dozen kunai, receiving only two; one cutting his left foot and the other scraping his right bicep.

"Wow Iruka, you sure did find the little monster fast" Mizuki snarled from a branch on the other side of the clearing.

"Mizuki! What are you doing?"

"Sensei what's going on? Why did you attack me?" Naruto asked as he fell onto the ground, nursing his wounds.

"Shut up demon!" Mizuki screamed as he hurled one of his giant shuriken at a scared and hurt Naruto.

"NARUTO GET DOWN"

**SCHLINK**

Naruto looked up only to see Iruka knelt over him with the shuriken stabbed into his back.

"…Iruka...Sensei…? ….why?" Naruto asked with tears in his eyes

"Because Naruto-cough cough- I couldn't just let my favourite student be hurt." Iruka boldly stated with a sad grin.

"Hahaha! Favourite student? Please Iruka we both know you hate just him like everyone else, that's why you always lied to him." Mizuki stated with a wicked smirk.

"Lied to me..? About what?" Naruto asked in confusion.

Mizuki's smirk grew into a crazed grin, "About why everyone hates you."

Iruka's eyes widened in disbelieving shock "DON'T MIZUKI!"

Mizuki jumped down behind Iruka and pulled up a kunai to finish Iruka "The truth is Naruto, you are the Nine-Tailed Fox, Kyuubi reincarnated!"

Naruto stared in stunned silence at Iruka's face, 'It all makes sense now, why they all glare at me, my birthday, the beatings,…' Thinking of all the painful past experiences Naruto started falling into a depression, then seeing the look on Iruka's pained face he remembered the few that do care about him and made a decision. 'NO! I don't care if I was the fox before! Right now, I'm Naruto Uzumaki and I have a sensei to protect!'

Naruto rolled out from underneath Iruka while swiping a kunai and throwing it at Mizuki's shocked form. It nailed his right lung.

"AAAGH! You little bastard!" Mizuki looked up in time to see Iruka throwing his shuriken right back at him.

"Take this traitor!" Iruka yelled. Mizuki dove out of the way, but not fast enough.

"AAAAHHHHH" he screamed as his legs were sliced off at the knee. In a last ditch effort, Mizuki threw his last shuriken at Iruka, which Iruka dodged by ducking behind a tree, the shuriken stuck halfway through the tree shocking Iruka with Mizuki's strength, that was when Mizuki smirked holding a hand sign.

"KATSU" the shuriken exploded, knocking the tree down and throwing Iruka far out of the clearing.

Mizuki's vision was starting to fade… 'Well at least I got to take that smart bastard out with me'.

"Forgetting someone?" Mizuki's eyes widened when he saw Naruto in front of him holding the ox hand sign.

"Demon! What are yo-"

"NINJA ART: SOUL DRAIN"

That's when Mizuki felt it, Naruto chakra was compressing Mizuki's down into a little ball, it was excruciatingly painful "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHhhhh…" when Naruto's left hand clenched Mizuki's forehead his whole body was sucked into Naruto through his palm leaving only his shredded and bloody clothes behind.

Naruto fell to his knees clutching his head.

#################################

**_Mindscape_**

"Huh? What happened?" Naruto looked around finding himself in a large maze of sewers. "This is weird"

**"Boy, come here"** a dark voice bellowed from around the corner.

Naruto walked around the corner to find a HUGE room with a giant cage in it, "Umm hello? Is anyone there?"suddenly, a giant claw reached for him from between the bars and only missing by a few inches of his face"…..ugh?" Naruto muttered before falling on his ass.

**"This is my container? Jeez you're fuckin tiny" **The Nine-Tailed Fox Demon mocked from beyond his steel cage.

"K-Kyuubi..?" Naruto stuttered in shock.

**"Well what do you know, he's not a complete moron." **Kyuubi chuckled at Naruto's frustrated face.

"Oi! I'm Naruto Uzumaki! And I'm gonna be Hokage someday!" Naruto yelled in a childish fury, "You can't talk to me like that!".

"Wha….? What did you do to me demon?" Naruto turned around to see a nude Mizuki hung on the wall by chains. "Gah!..the Fox?"

**"Boy, what is this pathetic creature doing here?" **the Fox asked with a snarl.

"Ummm I think I did it with my technique, the Soul Drain." Naruto replied in a slight awe that it worked properly.

**"Hmmm were you practicing this technique on squirrels?"**

"Yeah, why?"

**"…That explains the lunch I enjoyed a few minutes ago"**

"Lu-Lunch?" Mizuki stuttered while shaking in fear on the fox demon.

"YATTA that means I saved Iruka sensei!" Naruto cheered before turning to Mizuki with a dark look on his face, "Now to finish what I started."

**"Hmhmahaha! BOY! I think this will be the start of a beautiful friendship" **the fox grinned from behind Naruto, with Naruto matching the wicked grin.

"What are you doing Demon?" Naruto walked over to Mizuki while weaving three hand signs "N-Naruto what are you doing?"

"Finishing my technique, HA!" with that a glow emanated from Mizuki and split in two, the first part entered Naruto through his eyes and mouth, and the other materialised in front of Mizuki's body, taking the form of a clothed Mizuki himself.

"AAAAHHhh…actually that didn't hurt as much as I thought it would." Naruto said while smiling at a see-through clothed Mizuki that was on his knees in front of his hung body. "Hey Kyuubi-san, open up!" Naruto then flung Mizuki's body to the fox, who happily munched on the corpse before swallowing.

**"Mmm….boy, you are by far the best host I have ever had HAHAHAHAHAHA" **Kyuubi smiled with blood hanging from his lips.

Mizuki's consciousness looked on and expected to feel furious at Naruto and the fox, but all he could manage was a weak…"What am I gonna live in now? And how come I'm not pissed at you dem-**"I'm THE FUCKING DEMON YOU WHELP"-…**okay, Naruto it is. Why am I not trying to kill you right now"

Naruto looked at Mizuki seriously, "….I dunno".

Mizuki stared right back with a slight frown, "….You're a brat".

**"I can answer that,"** both Naruto and Mizuki looked up at the giant fox** "I consumed, along with your body, your negative emotions,"**

"Umm why? if you don't mind me asking Kyuubi-san?" asked Naruto

**"…They taste juicy"**.

"Ooookay," Mizuki said feeling confused but…happy? "So now what Naruto? Fox Demon"

**"Now, you stay right here," **Kyuubi stated before placing his giant claw over Mizuki's frame, thus holding him in place

"OUCH BASTARD FOX!"

**"Huh…guess he can still feel frustrated"**

"And me Kyuubi-san?" Naruto asked with a raised arm.

**"Well now brat, you have a story to fabricate"** the fox replied before blowing a 'light' breeze at Naruto, flinging him out of the cage room and down the hall

"WOOO-"

#######################

"OOOOOO-(smack)OUCH" Naruto said as he fell onto his ass…again.

Looking around, Naruto realised he was back in the field he and Iruka defeated Mizuki in.

'Wha…? Was any of that real' Naruto thought.

**"YEP" **

"AH" Naruto span around looking for the Kyuubi.

**"I'm still in your head kid, and you need to get rid of those clothes,"** That's when Naruto looked down and saw Mizuki's bloody clothes leftover from the jutsu.

'How do I do that Kyuubi-san?' Naruto thought to the Kyuubi.

**"Hey it's your problem not mine, you figure it out"**

Naruto sat thoughtful for a second before he heard Iruka moan and get up from his place just out of sight. Naruto panicked trying to think of a solution quick 'Ummm… Uuugh….I GOT IT' he thought with a grin.

Naruto weaved a few hand signs before whispering "EARTH STYLE: HEAD-HUNTER JUTSU!" and diving into the ground taking Mizuki's clothes with him.

Iruka wandered into the clearing on guard, "Naruto? Where are you?"

Naruto popped up behind Iruka and shouted "RIGHT HERE SENSEI"

"AAAHH!" Iruka yelped before falling on his ass causing Naruto to laugh loudly.

Naruto paused in his laughter for a moment while thinking, 'Hold–up, how the heck do I know the head-hunter jutsu?'

Iruka looked annoyed at Naruto before realising the absence of Mizuki. "Hey Naruto? Where's Mizuki? Did he get away with the scroll?"

"No way sensei! I got the scroll right here! I destroyed Mizuki just like a future Hokage would!" Naruto said with a grin while pointing to a darkened patch of earth with a blood-stained headband sitting atop it.

Iruka's eyes widened in disbelief, "You…completely destroyed him?...how?"

Naruto's grin grew even wider, "With my new jutsu from the scroll"

Iruka stared at Naruto in shock, 'This academy dropout managed to beat a high-level Chunnin? With one jutsu?' Iruka thought in amazement, 'If that doesn't prove he should be a Gennin then I don't know what will'

Grabbing Mizuki's headband from the ground, Iruka waved Naruto over, "Hey Naruto close your eyes for a sec."

Grinning stupidly, Naruto sat in front of Iruka with his eyes closed, Naruto felt a tugging on his goggles then a cool feeling replacing them. "Congratulations Naruto," Naruto opened his eyes to see Iruka and his reflection in the goggles that he was holding, "You graduate!"

Naruto reached up to Mizuki's headband, 'No, it's mine.' He thought in awe before hugging his sensei, "IRUKA SENSEI!HAHAHAHAHA"-

"OUCH NARUTO I'M STILL BLEEDING HERE"-

"HAHAHAHAHA"

Chapter end

R&R J I welcome constructive criticism.

Starting to go back and re-edit my chapters now :D hope everyone is happy with how my story is turning out. (If you've only just started reading, you're in for a treat! Well, at least that's what some of the reviews I got have been suggesting :D)


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Explanation and Squad formation!

*Knock-Knock.*

"Come on in you two" said Sarutobi Hiruzen, the third Hokage of Konoha.

A bandaged Iruka entered with a polite bow the vastly powerful elder, "Good morning Hoka-"

"HEY JIJI!"

"KNOCK IT OFF NARUTO!"

Naruto ran over to Sarutobi with a smile on his face so big his eyes were closed tight, ignoring Iruka's furious outburst.

Sarutobi chuckles graciously, "Hmhmhm… Good morning to you Naruto-kun, how was your rest?"

He hopped into a chair and leaned back relaxing, he pouted "Ah the hospital was stuffy and they kept me up all night AND they don't serve ANY ramen you gotta fix that!"

Sarutobi 'hmmm-ed' with a smile before turning to the now seated Iruka, "And you Iruka-kun? All fixed up?"

"Only a scar or two now Hokage-sama," he said, patting his side and wincing, "And the scroll?" he asked.

"It's in the right hands now, so don't worry about it-"

"JIJI I'M A GENNIN NOW. LOOK!"

Sarutobi turned to Naruto with a withered smile, "Yes you are Naruto and I'm so very proud of you."

Naruto's answering smile lit up the whole room.

With a small cough, the Third Hokage now demanded their attention causing the two to straighten up in their chairs. "Now, Shinobi of Konoha, I want a full report on the happenings of last night starting with Iruka."

"Hai Hokage-sama" they chanted together before Iruka led off with his version of what occurred the night before.

"When I arrived at the forth survival training grounds, I discovered a tired but cheery Naruto clutching the forbidden scroll and staring at me expectantly. After learning from Naruto that my colleague Mizuki told him to steal the scroll in the first place, I witnessed Mizuki attack a fleeing Naruto with the _shadow clone kunai jutsu_," the aged Hokage picked up his mug of tea to try and calm his growing anger at the deceased Mizuki, "after this I stepped in and attempted to stop Mizuki's attack. This is when Mizuki told Naruto the S-class secret about the, umm, well the demon fox"

The temperature in the room dropped as the Hokage clenched his mug in his hand barely controlling his rage.

"And then, Naruto defeated Mizuki to save me with his new jutsu."

The rage disappeared; "Huh?" the Hokage said looking dumbfounded at Iruka.

Iruka looked at the Hokage nervously and stated "Academy student; Naruto Uzumaki, completely destroyed senior Chunnin Mizuki Kohaku. So I gave him Gennin status."

The Hokage stared at Iruka stunned and then at Naruto disbelieving, **'Kid, I think it's time to tell them the story we fabricated'**, the Kyuubi thought to Naruto.

Naruto nodded, 'Okay Kyuubi-san'

"Umm, Jiji? Do you want my report now?"

The Hokage looked at Naruto and slowly nodded while refocussing, "ALRIGHT! Well after Iruka-sensei returned fire and manage to injure Mizuki-teme, Mizuki blasted him away and I thought he was hurt. So while Mizuki was down I hit him with my new jutsu! And sent his body waaaaay underground to rot! But when I came back up, Iruka sensei was waiting for me and he wasn't too bad off so I was really happy" Naruto said before smiling like an idiot up at Iruka.

"An earth jutsu? Well that is impressive Naruto, could you give us a demonstration?" Sarutobi asked with a proud nod, 'I knew this boy was a real treasure, already learning such advanced techniques at his age.' smirking to himself.

"Ugh… well the thing is," Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "I kinda….forgot the jutsu"

Sarutobi and Iruka deadpanned at Naruto, 'I take it back…he's a moron'

Sarutobi weakly smiled at Iruka, "Iruka-kun, thank you for the report, I'll see you at the meeting tonight yes?"

Iruka knew a dismissal when he heard one, "Hai Hokage-sama, I will be there." Turning to Naruto he ruffled his hair, "Catch ya later Naruto, good luck as a Konoha Gennin, and be careful okay?"

"You got it sensei!" Naruto beamed up at Iruka as Iruka smiled and left.

As soon as the door closed, Sarutobi took off his Hokage hat and gave a woeful sigh, "Naruto, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the fox. But you must understand, if the wrong people found out about your status as a container…well it wouldn't end well," Sarutobi stared to Naruto, willing him to understand.

**"Kid, I think he was just trying to protect you from being harmed. And I guess, from me" **the Kyuubi supplied to a confused Naruto.

'Kyuubi-san, I have to tell him the truth. If I can't trust Hokage-jiji then how can I trust anyone?' Naruto thought to the Fox.

With the fox's following silence, Naruto took it as an agreement with his statement, "Jiji….what I told you before, well it's not the full story exactly…" Naruto gazed up at the startled old man, "I remember the jutsu….it wasn't an earth one,"

Sarutobi sat back, shocked and worried about Naruto's subdued behaviour and after a few moments silence, "…ANBU, leave us alone for a moment," four blurs moved from strategic points in the room and flew out the window. "Naruto, please tell me what happened? I swear on my honour as the Fire Shadow that I will not tell anyone of what you say now unless it endangers the village."

Sarutobi looked comfortingly at a scared Naruto, "…. Well when I opened the scroll, the first few jutsu just didn't stand out to me, so when I found one that did I jumped on the opportunity to train," Naruto started blabbering nervously, "It's called…_Ninja Art: Soul Drain_," At this the Strongest man in fire country, the legendary Fire Shadow…went stark pale, "I-I didn't destroy Mizuki, I absorbed him, he's in my head right now. If I go into my mindscape I can talk to him-"

"How do you know that Naruto?" Sarutobi whispered in concern, "If a person like you entered their mindscape, they'd meet… their tenant."

Naruto shifted nervously, "Well if you mean Kyuubi-san, then yeah I've met him, and I-"

"What did he say to you Naruto?"

Naruto looked up into Sarutobi's eyes with fierce determination and boldly stated, "The Kyuubi pledged itself as an ally to myself and to Konoha,"

Sarutobi sat shocked and silent for a few minutes, 'A demon this powerful, being channelled through someone with Naruto-kun's spirit? This could very well be the bringer of the destruction of the Shinobi world I'm talking to,' Sarutobi looked down at Naruto seeing what he could be, then Naruto grinned at Sarutobi like the innocent child he is, 'And just maybe he will be the most incredible Hokage this village has ever seen..' Sarutobi thought with a smile.

Sarutobi sat up straight and placed his hat back on his head, "Alright Naruto-kun, I've come to a decision. The public story will be what you first told Iruka and myself, only I will know of your new LAST RESORT jutsu. You will keep your position as Gennin, in exchange for a wish of mine, okay Naruto?"

Naruto nodded his head vigourously and with a huge grin, "Yeah Jiji whatever you need, I can do, believe it!"

With an aged smile, Sarutobi slowly got up walked around his desk and knelt to eye level next to Naruto, "Believe in the will of fire Naruto-kun," Now placing the Hokage hat on Naruto's head. "And use it to protect the Hidden leaf village."

Naruto looked up at Sarutobi with more determination than any 12 year old should have, "Til my last breath jij, I will live by these words! My new Nin-do! BELIEVE IT!" finishing with a hug Naruto gave the hat back with a smile,

"Good to hear!" stated Sarutobi while adjusting his hat, "Naruto Uzumaki! Gennin of Konoha! Our meeting is adjourned, the details of this meeting is an A-Class secret" Sarutobi ruffled Naruto's overly happy head,

"Hai Hokage-jiji!"

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Iruka sat at Ichiraku ramen feeling lucky about the whole situation with Mizuki, 'I wonder when Naruto is due to come out of the meeting…' not a moment sooner Naruto hopped up onto the stool next to him.

"HEY IRUKA SENSEI!"

"DON'T SHOUT IDIOT I'M RIGHT HERE!"

Laughing, Naruto said "ne, Iruka sensei, remember you said you'd buy me ramen if I graduate, right?"

Iruka sighed in defeat, "Yeah sure, go ahead Naruto" he couldn't help himself from smiling seeing Naruto so happy.

"ALRIGHT! Hey old man Ichiraku! Gimme Four Miso Ramen and keep em coming!"

"DAMMIT NARUTO YOU THINK I'M MADE OF MONEY?!"

#######################################

Later that night at the large meeting hall at the base of the Hokage tower, Iruka and the principal of the ninja academy sat alongside the Hokage, facing twenty four Jounin.

Clearing his throat, Sarutobi gained everyone's attention. "Alright thank you all for coming, tonight those of you that want to may request and new Gennin for a squad that will be ran by you. If you have any problems with what one of your colleagues suggest feel free to share your opinion."

At this Asuma Sarutobi, Hiruzen's son, stepped forward "Hey dad, I'd like to request this generation's Ino-Shika-Cho unit, under my old team banner, team 10."

The Hokage nodded approvingly, "A sound request, anyone object?" Silence. "Alright Asuma, team 10 is yours."

"Umm, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi Hatake stepped forward, "I was told that no matter who I chose I'm gonna end up getting the Uchiha cos' of my Sharingan, so can I have Naruto as well please?"

At this a huge uproar broke out, "THE DEMON PASSED?" "HOKAGE-SAMA! YOU CAN'T LET THE DEMON BE ON THE SAME TEAM AS THE UCHIHA" "I LOVE DANGO"

"**SILENCE!" **at Sarutobi's yell everyone shut up, "Anko, please leave you are a tokubetsu Jounin and as such not allowed to train a squad anyway"

"'kay" Anko says before diving out a closed window, shattering the glass all over the floor.

Sarutobi sighs in exasperation, "Kakashi, was their anyone else you wanted to request?"

Looking up from his book, "Huh? Did you say something Hokage-sama?"

Sarutobi facepalmed himself, "For the love of log, your third candidate Hatake!"

Eye widening in realisation, "Oh umm let's see…..I guess I'll take…"Kakashi rummaging through the sheets of paper containing Gennin names, "Hmm, this one? Okay Sakura Haruno I guess."

"Any objections?" nobody cared, "Alright squad 7 under Kakashi Hatake, Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki and the pink haired banshee!"

Everyone looked at Sarutobi with a raised eyebrow, or a suppressed giggle. "Ugh.. I mean… Sakura Haruno. NEXT"

Chapter end


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Introducing A New Naruto, member of team 7!

**_Mindscape_**

"Hey Mizuki-teme, Kyuubi-san! Why is it a sewer down here?" Naruto yelled upon entry into his mindscape.

**"Cause kid, you're as unimaginative as a shit." **Kyuubi honestly replied.

"BASTARD FOX!"Naruto yelled back childishly while shaking a fist at the legendary demon.

"Well Naruto," a see-through Mizuki stated leaning on one of the bars on the cage, "A person's mindscape is basically the representation of how they imagine their consciousness to be, yours is a sewer because you are young and impressionable." Naruto just looked at Mizuki blankly.

"What I'm saying is it took a random simple form, you can change if you want. Just by 'willing' it to change." Mizuki explained.

Naruto's face lit up in realisation, "Why didn't you just say so before?"

**"See what I'd have to put up with by myself if he chose another jutsu?" **Kyuubi deadpanned at a facepalmed Mizuki.

"So I can do this!" Naruto exclaimed staring in concentration at a blank space.

**"A lot of people can glare at the floor kid, it doesn't take much concentration to-"** a small 2 storey house with a flat roof suddenly appeared, **"….I stand corrected."**

Mizuki looked at the house in awe, "Holy Log! That's incredible"

Smirking, Naruto jumped onto the roof "Almost done," he said and chewed his lip in focus.

And thus, a 10x8metre flat screen television grew out of the roof, along with a four-seater couch. "Done! Now you two can watch the outside world through my eyes and ears!"

Mizuki looked at the black screen and listened to Naruto's snores. "Truly invigorating." he sarcastically stated.

"I KNOW RIGHT?!" Naruto obliviously yelled.

**"That's nice and all, but you need to get up. Your team assignments is in four hours, and you need to get new gear." **

"New gear? Why?" Naruto asked looking at Kyuubi.

"Since you have my fighting style and main jutsu, you need to acquire the items that work with it." Mizuki explained.

"Huh? So that's how I knew the _Head-hunter jutsu_?" Naruto asked with a look of understanding on his face.

**"Yeah kid, say what other jutsus do you 'suddenly' know?" **the Kyuubi asked.

Naruto tried to think of what jutsu he knows, "Well, all my jutsu that I know I can do are: _Substitution, Transformation, Ninja Art: Soul Drain, Shuriken Shadow clone jutsu, Earth Style: Head-hunter jutsu and the Earth Style: Earth wall._ I also feel like I have a higher understanding of chakra control." Naruto's smile threatened to split his face in half, "WOW I totally picked the BEST jutsu ever!"

"That's nice," Mizuki said standing behind Naruto, "Now, WAKE UP" Mizuki punted Naruto back down the hallway into consciousness.

######################################

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEE-SMASH

Naruto sat-up quickly fully energised, "Alright! Let's go!" Naruto cheered as he jumped to his feet.

#####################################

After getting dressed, Naruto ran down the street to the Higurashi Ninja Store, hoping they'll let him in since he's now a ninja.

Now standing at the door, Naruto took a deep breath **'Hurry up kit, you don't have all day.'**

Realising the annoying baka was right –

**"OI"**

-Naruto walked into the store listening to the jingling of the doorbell.

"Good Morning and welcome to the Higurashi Ninja Store, how may I help you?" a roughly 40 year old burly bald man asked from behind the counter.

"Umm hi, I'm looking for a twin set of those giant shuriken," Naruto said pointing to a shuriken identical to Mizuki's hung on the wall, "and a Shinobi Assassin Set please."

The burly man's eyebrows lifted, "An assassin set? Aren't you a little young to already have a Shinobi specialty?"

Naruto smiled up at the man, "'Old enough to kill, old enough to do whatever the fuck he wants.' That was taught to me by an old sensei of mine."

A huge laugh bellowed out from the man, "What an interesting life philosophy young man! Alright I'll grab it for ya." the man walked into the back room where Naruto heard a lot of metal clinking.

Not two minutes later, he walked back out with a box the size of Naruto's torso, and two small metal bracelets, "These are the latest giant shuriken sets, the bracelets have three seals on each, and each seal can hold two giant shuriken. It's a bit pricey, but for a kid like you I can knock it down a little since you're buying a whole assassination kit as well. You want me to fully stock each seal?"

Naruto looked on blankly at the bracelets, "Umm I don't know if I can afford all that, I only got this much," said Naruto as he opened his froggy wallet, letting all his cash fall out. And after the bounty on a B-rank missing nin (Mizuki) there was a lot.

The burly man's eyes flashed into $$ signs, "I think you can easily afford all of this with a half of what you got there my boy! Haha!"

Naruto smiled up at him, "Thanks Mr…umm, sorry what's your name?"

The man thumped his chest proudly and stated in a much rehearsed voice "Dan Higurashi is my name, and Blacksmithing is my game, and you my boy?"

Naruto suddenly got nervous, 'Will he kick me out once he finds out who I am? Like all the others..?'

The Kyuubi whispered to Naruto through his thoughts "**He seems to be a good man Kit, trust him and he may return the favour."**

Naruto looked up at the man nervously, "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, rookie Gennin of Konoha."

Dan's eyebrows lifted once again and stared at Naruto for a solid minute, putting Naruto on edge, ready to run at a moment's notice.

"…You're the kid that painted the Hokage monument?" Dan said with a smile, "That takes guts kid."

Naruto smiles back widely, "Hehe you heard about that?"

"Everyone did, what I wanna know is how you managed to get away from all them ANBU in a bright orange tracksuit." Dan said while he chuckled at his own joke.

Naruto yelled confidently, "Orange is the best colour by far! Believe it!"

Laughing at Naruto's enthusiasm, Dan said, "Well I can help set you up with some proper Shinobi clothing while keeping some orange if you got the time, what do ya say Naruto-kun?"

"YATTA!"Naruto cheered while following Dan to the clothing section.

Naruto heard the Kyuubi sigh heavily, **"This is why we left extra early kid."**

**############################# **

"Good luck with the team meeting Naruto-kun." said Dan waving goodbye to Naruto as he ran to the academy to meet up with his new squad.

Naruto half-turned and grinned back, "Thanks Dan-san! I'll be back soon I promise!"

Jumping onto a nearby roof in his new outfit, Naruto took a second to admire how 'cool' he looked.

With the tracksuit now folded away and safely sealed into his new orange sealing belt, he now wore black ninja pants with a print of an orange shuriken on each of his knees, with a chainmail singlet laying under his new black t-shirt with an orange trimming. On his feet he wore standard black Shinobi sandals, sitting over orange bandages wrapped to hold the hem of his pants in place. He had orange and black-lined gloves on his hands showing off his shuriken seal bracelets, the look was finished off with the new cloth on his headband which was a jet black.

Jumping on top of a nearby power-pole, Naruto yelled out, "LOOK OUT WORLD! A NEW NARUTO UZUMAKI IS IN TOWN!"

With that, Naruto focused chakra to his feet, and started building hopping towards the academy.

######################################

"Sasuke Uchiha?"

"Hn."

"Naruto Uzumaki?"

…..

"Naruto?" Iruka looked up from his roll to look towards Naruto's seat only to see it empty, with a frown Iruka thought, 'Naruto what are you doing? Being late on your first day as a Shinobi? Geez he's probably just slept in'.

With a deep sigh, Iruka was about to continue on when suddenly Naruto popped out of the FLOOR in front of Iruka's desk, "HEY SENSEI!"

"NARU..to?" Iruka stopped his rant when he noticed, yes Naruto DID pop out of the ground, and with a new look.

With a grin Naruto said, "Sorry I'm late sensei, I was stocking up on ninja tools. You know what they say: better to be late and prepared than early and dead." He finished before moving to his desk between Shikamaru Nara and Kiba Inuzuka.

Iruka stared at Naruto in shock until, "Oi sensei we're all here so can you get on with the team announcements? It's troublesome to be here any longer," spoke the resident genius.

Now snapped out of his daze, "Y-yes, good point Shikamaru, right Team 1…."

Nobody cared unless it was their team that was called…

"…Team 7 Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno. Under Kakashi Hatake."

Sasuke had no outward reaction at all, Naruto only frowned slightly, Sakura cheered that she was on the same team as Sasuke.

For an unknown reason, Iruka felt like he was witnessing something special..

###############################

"WHERE THE FUCK IS THIS SENSEI OF OURS!"

"NARUTO DON'T SWEAR IT IRRITATES SASUKE-KUN!"

"FUCK YOU HARUNO!"

Team 7 appeared slightly frustrated that their sensei was late…by three full hours, starting to border on four. Though on Sasuke, you can only tell by the slowly increasing frown.

This is the sight one Kakashi Hatake finds himself walking in on, "hello team seven, your tacky and I hate you. Meet on the roof in one minute." Poof, and the Jounin is gone.

In a rush, Naruto grabs his teammates and using the _head-hunter jutsu_, dives into the outer wall of the academy and moves up to the roof.

####################################

Poofing onto the roof Kakashi took a seat against the railing, waiting for his charges. What he saw next was more than he expected.

"WAHOO!" yelled Naruto as he flew out from the rooftop with a screaming Sakura under one arm and a stunned silent Sasuke over his shoulder.

Naruto let go of his teammates in mid-air and landed with a thumbs-up directed at Kakashi, as Sakura landed in an unceremonious heap on her ass, and Sasuke flipped around at the last second to land in a crouch next to Naruto. "That was…interesting, how did you do that dobe?" said Sasuke with a raised brow.

With a grin Naruto looked to Sasuke, "Hehe with my new jutsu teme."

Sasuke smirked back at Naruto's grin, "Guess you won't be as useless as I thought."

Before Naruto could retort Kakashi cut in. "Impressive you three, getting up six stories in eight seconds. Very impressive."

"Thanks sensei!" Naruto shouted proudly.

"SHUT UP NARUTO YOUR YELLING IS ANNOYING EVERYONE!" the useless banshee screeched. She was just about to scream again when Kakashi slammed some tape over her mouth.

"Right, now that that is taken care of, how about some introductions? Starting with the blonde." Kakashi said while pointing to Naruto.

"Why don't you show us how it's done sensei?" Sasuke asked.

"Alright, my name is Kakashi Hatake, my likes are none of your concern, my dislikes are the things I don't like, my hobbies include things I like, and my dreams are rated R18+ so I won't be sharing them with children. Now you blondie."

The three just stared at him thinking, 'All we know is his name and he has grown-up thoughts.'

"Okay then. My name is Naruto Uzumaki! I like ramen, my comrades and my tenant," At this Kakashi's visible eye widened. "My dislikes are the scum of this village, irritating fangirls, and traitors. My hobbies include sleeping and training and ramen! And my dream, I WILL protect the will of fire and the people that follow it! Believe it!"

Kakashi nodded, "Alrighty then, I'll need to talk to you about you 'tenant' comment later Naruto. Alright the emo, your turn."

"…My name is Sasuke Uchiha, I like training and getting stronger, I dislike weak fangirls, and a certain man. My hobbies are the same as my likes, and my dream... No I don't have a dream, but my ambition, is to kill a certain man."

"Well aren't you a ray of sunshine," Sasuke glared at Kakashi. "Alright and your turn pinkie."

"MMMPH MNNMMPFFF!"

"That's quite amazing and more than enough information, thankyou Sakura." The two boys looked at Kakashi confused, 'Did he actually hear her introduce himself? Or did he already know our names?' they looked at each other than at a fuming Sakura. '…best not to ask'.

"Alright you three, meet me at training ground seven tomorrow at six am for your second test. Naruto, I will be visiting you this evening to discuss…things." Kakashi said before 'poof', he was gone.

Naruto turned to Sasuke, "Hey what do think he meant by 'second test'?"

A frowning Sasuke looked back, "How should I know dobe? I have to go train." Then he started towards the stairs just as Sakura ripped the tape off of her mouth.

"Sasuke-kun! Let's train together!" Sasuke froze and turned back to Sakura before turning back to the stairs only to see Sakura standing there staring at him with hearts in her eyes, "Sasuke-kuuuuuuun?"

Sasuke scowled, 'Crap! how do I ditch this banshee?!' he thought when he suddenly felt someone grab his arm.

Turning, he saw Naruto, "C'mon teme!" he yelled before jumping off the building and dragging Sasuke with him.

"NARUTO YOUR GONNA KILL US!" Sasuke screamed in a very un-Sasuke moment. He looked at Naruto to see him holding a one handed sign. "DOBE WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

And then, the two disappeared as they dove into the ground.

##########################

Coming up at team 7's new training ground, a giggling Naruto let a freaked out Sasuke free. "Hehe that was great! Did you see her face? Hahahahahaha!"

A now slightly calmer Sasuke said, "I guess a thanks is due dobe, nice save. Although, I could've used a warning. I owe you one."

Naruto, now smiling widely, "Alright then, I'll consider us even if instead of both of us training separately and without a sparring partner, let's train together as long as we're on this team together, sound good?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke looked at Naruto weighing the pros and cons, after a moment he nodded "Fine, but only for as long as the anti-fangirl service is active. Deal?"

Naruto nodded, "DEAL!"

Naruto and Sasuke took their stances, "Taijutsu only dobe?" he asked with a confident smirk.

"For now teme! Enough chatter LETS GO!" Naruto yelled as he shot forward with a higher skill level than ever shown previously.

############################

*Knock Knock*

Naruto looked up from his dinner of instant ramen and blinked, 'Who do you think it is Kyuubi-san?' he thought.

**"It's probably that Cyclops from earlier. He did say he wanted to talk to you about me."**

Naruto nodded and slurped the last mouthful as he took the necessary steps to the door. He opened it with one hand to see that it was indeed Kakashi who was waiting, "Yo Naruto." He said with a wave.

Naruto grinned, "What's up sensei? You wanted to talk about Kyu-"

Within a second, Kakashi had closed the door and moved Naruto over to his bed. When Naruto got control and sat back up normally, he noticed Kakashi had pulled his only chair up to face the bed, "What the hell?!" Naruto yelled.

Kakashi eye smiled, "Sorry Naruto, but I can't let you talk about _that_ so callously." He said before leaning forward and speaking in a serious tone, "Your comment earlier today. About your 'tenant', explain to me what you meant exactly?"

NNaruto stared into Kakashi's eye for a moment, 'What should I say Kyuubi-san?' he thought to the fox.

Naruto heard the fox chuckle, **"Just repeat after me, even if I say something you don't agree with."**

Naruto nodded to himself before talking to Kakashi, "Well Cyclops, I meant the Kyuubi, but since it's in my gut, I don't see how it's your business." He said before folding his arms and pouting childishly.

Kakashi's eye widened, 'And here I thought he might be similar to Minato-sensei…' he thought before sighing.

"Naruto, I'm your sensei. I'm asking for the safety you and your team." Kakashi said while placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto blinked in shock, 'He…cares about me?' Naruto thought.

**"No shit kid, why else do you think he came here? Repeat after me again, I wanna mess with him some more." **Kyuubi ordered with a chuckle.

Naruto frowned, 'Bastard Fox! Forget it! your cut off!' Naruto thought as he broke the signal between him and the TV in his mind.

Naruto smiled at Kakashi, "Umm, sorry sensei. Well, I met Kyuubi-san the other night. Other than being a prick he's pretty alright." Naruto said while scratching his head.

Kakashi blinked, "The Kyuubi…'pretty alright'?" he asked sceptically.

Naruto nodded, "Mm, he has no influence on me if that's what you think. I can cut him off anytime." Naruto explained.

Kakashi nodded, "Well…alright. I'll take your word for it. But if I see any problems concerning it's chakra I won't hesitate to take action." Kakashi said, signifying the importance of Naruto's control.

Naruto nodded, "I wouldn't expect anything less sensei. There are people in this village with a strong will of fire, I refuse to let them be hurt because of me." Naruto said in a moment of seriousness.

Kakashi appraised Naruto before patting his head, "You're a good kid Naruto. I think you'll do well." Kakashi said before standing up straight, "That is, if you guys pass my test in the morning." Kakashi said with a eye smile before waving, "Later."

Naruto watched as Kakashi disappeared in a poof of smoke, it filled his small room in seconds, causing him to cough and splutter as he opened a window to let it free.

Naruto stared out at the Hokage monument as the smoke filtered out and held his arm up to it. clenching his fist he vowed, "I will pass your exam sensei, believe it!"

#########################

Chapter end


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: the bell test, our first C-rank and training!

"Shiiiiiit! I can't believe I'm late!" Naruto yelled as he ran as fast as he could towards training ground seven. 'oh man, I'm so screwed!'

Approaching the training field he could see Sasuke and Sakura leaning against the training posts, 'Oh crap, they're gonna kill me' "HEY GUYS! Sorry I'm late, my training got a little rough yesterday, then i had a late night." he said sheepishly as he came to a stop.

Sakura scoffed, "Yeah right, I bet you just knocked yourself out by falling over."

Naruto glared at Sakura, "I may have been knocked around hard but I got a couple of decent hits in aswell, I'm just not that smooth with unarmed combat." Naruto explained.

Sakura scoffed, "Who'd train with you? You're the deadlast, only a moron would waste their time with you." Sakura glared at Naruto hatefully.

Naruto smirked, "Oh really whoever would train with me is a moron?"

"Duh! Are you deaf as well baka!?" Sakura screeched.

"No he's not, he's just wondering why you'd call me, the 'love of your life' a moron." Sasuke smirked from his place leaning against the training post.

Sakura turned to Sasuke and looked horrified, "NO SASUKE-KUN! Why would you choose him over me? I had the highest marks in the academy other than you! I am way better than this los- MMPF"

Sakura suddenly found her mouth taped shut courtesy of Naruto, "Teme you were right, she's an annoying banshee", then Naruto dove underground and pulled down Sakura til only her head and shoulders were left above ground.

Naruto came back up smirking, "That's one more training session Sasuke."

"How bout now dobe? By the looks of things Kakashi isn't gonna be on time again" Sasuke stated with a replying smirk. "You said unarmed combat isn't your specialty, so what is?"

With a huge grin, Naruto swiped his hands over his opposite wristbands and with a poof of smoke.

"Woah!" Sasuke said in shock, and Sakura's eyes widened from her position in the floor.

Naruto stood slightly crouched holding one shuriken in front of him in his left hand and the second in his right above his head. Grinning confidently, "You like Sasuke?" he said with a chuckle before twirling them expertly.

"When did you learn to wield those Naruto?" Sasuke asked.

"Eh, just something Mizuki sensei passed onto me." Naruto replied with a smirk before re-sealing his shuriken.

"I think I'll leave the armed combat to you then." Sasuke said.

Naruto let out a huge yawn, "I'm still tired, maybe we could sleep instead of train this morning?"

Sasuke yawned in reply and answered with his trademark "Hn."

Lying down next to Sakura's head, "Mk, G'night teme, Sakura."

Sasuke did the same on the other side of her head, "Hmm, night."

Sakura was stuck in the ground fuming at her teammates, "MMMPFF!"

"Yeah your right Sakura, the sunrise does look nice this morning.."

At 11am Kakashi appeared in a poof of smoke, "Sorry I'm late I was lost on the road… of...life?"

He looked around to find Naruto and Sasuke, using an almost completely buried Sakura's shoulders as pillows. While she glared up at him with her mouth taped shut.

In this situation, Kakashi did the only thing he could. Reaching into his pouch he pulled out a camera and took a photo.

*FLASH*

"AH"

Naruto jumped to his feet with a yelp, whilst Sasuke rolled to his feet whipping out a kunai.

"Good to see you three are so alert this morning" Kakashi said with an eye-smile. "Naruto, please get your teammate out of the ground."

"Sure thing Sensei!" Naruto said with a salute before falling backwards into the ground.

With his three students now sitting in front of him patiently, Kakashi began his speech, "Alright guys, now I'm sorry to break it to you but until you pass my test you are not full Gennin yet." Cue jawdrop from Naruto, scowl from Sasuke and muffled Sakura trying to take the tape off of her mouth. "In this test you need to take one of these bells from me in combat, and return them to this alarm clock" he said pulling out two bells and clipping them onto his belt. "You need to come at me with the intent to kill or you won't stand a chance, the alarm will go off at noon so, begin".

All three Gennin disappeared into the surrounding foliage, 'Now, I wonder who will come for me first. Or if they'll take me seriously.'

After two minutes of waiting, Kakashi heard a whizzing sound and barely ducked in time to dodge a flying shuriken, 'What the hell? What Gennin is capable of using a full sized battle shuriken at this speed?' Kakashi turned to where the shuriken was thrown from, only to see a fireball mere metres away from him. 'SHIT!'

*BOOM*

Naruto jumped into the clearing holding a second shuriken, "Damn, Sasuke he substituted." Naruto complained.

Sasuke appeared next to Naruto "Hn".

Seeing the substitution log, they both paused to offer they're prayers to the fallen log. An onlooking Kakashi's eye widened, 'Followers of the log? And these boys are barely Gennin! And by the looks of things they've also figured out they need to work together to get these bells'.

Looking down from his perch, Kakashi saw Naruto's discarded shuriken. 'Now why would he leave such a pricey ninja tool sitting there?'

Approaching the shuriken, Kakashi kept his focus on the Gennin in the clearing. 'He will plan to come pick it up, and by then I will have a trap set up for the both of them,' Kakashi thought as he crouched in front of the shuriken. He reached into his pouch on the left side of his beltline, leaving the bells wide open on the right.

It was at that moment, Naruto and Sasuke turned to him while smirking. "Now Sakura!" yelled Naruto.

Shocked that the two Gennin managed to sense him, Kakashi didn't react in time for the shuriken to go 'poof' and reveal it to be Sakura under a _transformation jutsu_.

Sakura grabbed the bells, and ran towards the boys who were running towards her. Seeing this, Kakashi snapped out of his daze and ran to get the bells back. "Hurry up Naruto!"

"Ready Sasuke?!" said Naruto as he was sinking into the ground,

"Hn. Fire Style: Fireball jutsu!" Sasuke said as he launched the jutsu straight at Sakura and Kakashi.

Kakashi's eye widened, 'What are they doing? They're willing to burn through Sakura and the bells to get me? I have to save her now!' kakashi thought as he began running full speed towards Sakura.

The fireball was flying towards Sakura and she was still running towards it, with Kakashi only three metres behind her.

Two metres, the fireball was almost upon them, Kakashi reached for her.

Only one metre away and Kakashi almost had her when Sakura suddenly, sunk into the ground?

Kakashi stared in shock at the place Sakura disappeared to, and looked up barely in time to see the fireball start to burn the material of his sleeve he instinctually used the _substitution jutsu_ to barely escape with only minimal burns.

Falling to the floor at the base of a nearby spruce, Kakashi looked at the alarm clock and saw Sasuke smirking at him. Not a second later, Naruto popped up from the ground with Sakura by his side holding the bells.

Just in time for the alarm go off.

Naruto smirked, "Looks like team 7 passes sensei!"

#####################

*Knock-Knock*

"Come in"

The door to the Hokage's office opened and in walked the newly formed team 7, Sarutobi looked up shocked "Kakashi? Did you actually pass a team?"

With a small eye-smile, "Hai Hokage-sama, not only did they get the bells, they used an abnormal level of teamwork not found among many Jounin, also they managed to best me in a deceptive trap earning me this." Kakashi showed the Hokage his now bandaged arm.

Sarutobi looked on in shock at team seven's smirking faces, "Well jiji? How bout a mission ne?" Naruto said with a grin.

"BE RESPECTFUL TO HOKAGE-SAMA BAKAAAAA!" Sakura yelled as she slammed a fist into the back of Naruto's head.

She was about to rant again when Sasuke slammed tape over her mouth, "Quiet." he ordered Sakura before kicking Naruto's side. "You dead dobe?"

Sarutobi laughed at the young team while Kakashi eye smiled, 'Well, I guess every team was it's quirks.' Kakashi thought as he watched his team.

####################

Over the next two months, team seven participated in numerous D-rank missions of vital importance…

"FINALLY!"Naruto shouted while throwing down his paint brush.

Sasuke put down the leftover paint buckets and sighed as he wiped sweat from his forehead with his forearm, "At least with the Tora mission we get to train our tracking skills." he muttered.

Leaning away from the newly painted fence, Sakura turned to Sasuke starry eyed, "Hmmpf hm m hmf mbm?"

"Now now Sakura, this is no time for such language." Kakashi said from his place in a nearby chair while happily reading Icha Icha Paradise. Earning himself a dark glare from the girl.

"Kakashi sensei? Can we please get a C-rank ? I know it's early for a rookie squad but c'mon!" Naruto pleaded.

Kakashi looked over his students and seeing them all looking at him hopefully, he sighed, "I'll ask the Hokage but I doubt he'll say yes. It's extremely unlikely so don't get your hopes up…"

####################

"It's about time you asked, I've had this one sitting aside for a week now." Hiruzen said with a small smile towards a wide-eyed Kakashi.

"YATTA! You're the best Jiji!" Naruto ran up and grabbed the scroll from his hand, "let's go!" he yelled in victory.

And with that Naruto and Sasuke ran out of the office to get ready for their new mission, leaving a still shocked Kakashi behind with a recently un-taped Sakura, "Umm sensei? Shouldn't you get the scroll from Naruto so that we can actually unseal the info and do the mission?" she asked in a whiny voice.

Snapped out his state at Sakura's question he replied, "Why yes Sakura, you are correct. Now, go pack a standard survival kit for…let's say a week, ok? We'll meet up at the main gate at dawn tomorrow morning where I will share the mission details. Ciao." And off he poofed to get the scroll from the boys and inform them of the meeting time and place.

####################

Naruto walked up to the gate half an hour after the specified meeting time, knowing that it will be at least another hour before the team's sensei arrives.

"Mornin' guys (yawn), how was your sleep?" Naruto asked with a grin.

"It was fine." Sakura quipped, now knowing it doesn't take much to motivate Naruto into taping her mouth shut.

Sasuke just nodded to Naruto then looked behind him with a raised brow, curiously Naruto turned around to see Kakashi walking up to them with a small travel pack on. "Good morning team."

They just stared at him in shock before Sakura held up the_ ram_ hand sign, "KAI".

"Sakura what are you doing?" asked a confused Kakashi.

Sasuke answered him, "Probably thought that you being here within the hour was a Genjutsu, it crossed my mind."

Kakashi just blinked at them, "me? Late? Since when?"

Naruto threw a stick at his sensei, "Piss off sensei, you're not fooling anyone." he said with a pout.

Catching the stick and tucking it behind his ear he said, "Well I guess I have been a tad late sometimes.."

His team just glared at him.

Kakashi eye smiled, "…Okay then team, let's move out! The first c-rank is always a letdown so let's get motivated." Kakashi pumped his fist in the air while walking down the road.

Naruto just followed after with a scowl on his face, "Yeah, great speech sensei." he muttered as the three Genin trudged along behind their odd leader.

##############################

"All right troops, we'll stop here for the night before moving on to the town."

"Hai Sensei." The team muttered as they entered the middle of a small clearing surrounded by huge trees with trunks ten metres thick.

Sakura turned to their sensei, "But we still got hours of daylight left, in fact, we could make it to the town by tonight." she whined.

As Kakashi sat down in a clearing, he began talking as he opened his pack, "Correct Sakura, but I think it's about time I taught you all proper chakra control, and what better way is there to do so then climbing trees?"

Sasuke deadpanned at their sensei, "Anyone can climb a tree."

"Ah yes, but how about walk up?" Kakashi said with his classic eye-smile.

Imagining it, Naruto felt as though it was common practice and knew how to do so already, "Ne Kakashi sensei? You mean focus chakra to your feet to adhere yourself to a vertical or upside down object?"

Surprised at Naruto's knowledge Kakashi asked, "You've done this before Naruto?"

Naruto shook his head, "Nah but I have a decent idea."

"Well then, why not give us a demonstration?" Kakashi said as he tossed a kunai into the air, "Mark your progress on the tree with a kunai, you two follow after Naruto."

With a confident grin, Naruto snatched a kunai and ran towards a tree. Focussing chakra to his feet, he starts to climb, 'YES! Thankyou Mizuki!' he thought in victory.

After getting past the forth branch Naruto's grip started to loosen and he came plummeting down, "AH CRAAAAAAAP!"

*BOOM*

Sakura runs over to Naruto, "Are you ok Naruto?" she asked as she looked down to see a Naruto sized hole in the ground.

After she helped pull him out he replied, "Never better! Except for the embarrassment and the cracked skull… totally fine," he muttered while walking in a circle before he fell onto his side and started snoring.

"Umm sensei? Is he gonna be alright?" Sakura asked chewing her lip.

Kakashi looked up from his book, "hmm? Yeah sure. So do you two get the idea of the exercise? Great! Get started."

Kakashi casually walked over to the unconscious blonde, picked him up and continued walking up a nearby tree. Sakura and Sasuke looked on in awe.

Picking up a kunai, Sasuke ran at his tree, 'Alright, the dobe said focus chakra to his feet, but how much? I'll start with enough for the _fireball jutsu_ and see what I get.'

Sasuke manages to get 3 metres up the tree before being blown off by the force of his own chakra. Performing a quick backflip, he rights himself and lands on his feet. 'Okay that's far too much.' he thought with a sigh.

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud "SUCCESS!" he looked over to see Sakura standing upside down on the fifth branch of her tree.

Looking over to them, Kakashi nodded "Good work Sakura, you seem to have perfect chakra control. Although that is a wonderful thing to have, it also means you have an abysmal amount of chakra,"

Sakura frowned at her sensei, "Hey sensei! Don't point out my weaknesses in front of Sasuke-kun!" she shrieked, thus earning herself chakra reinforced tape over her gaping maw. "MMPFMMMFM!"

A dizzy but newly conscious Naruto stood upside down next to Sakura, "What did we say about your fangirl mannerisms?" he asked sagely.

"MHMMMPF?" Sakura screeched as she glared at Naruto.

Kakashi clapped, bringing her attention to him "Exactly Sakura, now start running up and down your chosen tree while holding the _transformation jutsu_, this will deplete your chakra reserves quickly so that they are forced to expand at a faster rate while you sleep." he explained.

With a glare at Naruto and her sensei, Sakura started running up the tree again and _transformed_ into her friend Ino.

From Naruto's angle he had a clear view up 'Ino's' skirt, causing him to lose concentration and blood from his nostrils. And with that he fell again. "NOT AGAIN FUUUuck?" Naruto blinked in confusion before noticing that Kakashi had jumped over and caught him.

"Now Naruto, you really should start practicing this technique. You may have a good understanding of how it works but you don't seem to have it mastered like our kunoichi has, so get at it." Kakashi ordered while tossing naruto down to the ground.

Naruto landed with a 'humph', before he walked over to a tree next to Sasuke's, "Hey teme! Need some pointers?"

Sasuke just glared at his mark on the tree, barely five metres off of the ground then glared at Naruto, "What do you think dobe?" he said sarcastically.

Chuckling, Naruto said "Well it's obvious what you're doing wrong, your using almost ten times more chakra then you need. That is why you are literally blowing yourself away every time."

Sasuke's eyes widened in understanding, and after concentrating on his chakra, he ran for the tree again, making it to the third branch before slipping off.

Landing on the ground and looking up at his progress, Sasuke smirked at his success. "Hn."

Turning to Naruto to thank him, he realised Naruto was having one of his 'daydreaming' spouts, staring blankly at the tree.

Sighing and turning back to his tree, 'I can thank the dobe later, I guess I owe him another one and an Uchiha always repays their debts.' He thinks before running at his tree again.

######################

_**Mindscape**_

"How come I don't have this down right away?" Naruto asked from his spot lying down on the couch on the roof,

Mizuki stopped watching the Uchiha practice and turned to Naruto, "My guess is that even though you recall how to do it from my experience, your remembering it for someone with my size and mass. Since you are smaller than me, you don't need as much chakra. Though it seems to be close enough to hold you for a few seconds."

Naruto raised a brow, "Well, that makes sense. Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"**O****nly I seem to be able to contact you without you being unconscious kid, and I'm a bit too big to even need the tree climbing technique." **The fox pointed out.

Naruto frowned, "But the scroll said after meeting you in my mindscape, I should be able to converse with you freely,"

With a sigh, Mizuki started clicking buttons on the TV remote. "Let's see what it actually says." he muttered.

Mizuki skipped back through Naruto's life, each time he clicked 'skip' it went back twelve hours. After a minute, he said "Here we go, alright now I just need to pause it on when you where looking at the scroll…..there!" *Click* "got it!" Mizuki said in victory.

Naruto scowled up at Mizuki, "How'd you do that? These are MY memories!"

Mizuki shrugged, "This is how you programmed it, even if it was subconsciously."

"**T****hat is actually pretty cool, probably useful aswell."**

Mizuki interrupted, "Ah-ha! Found it! Alright it says exactly 'when the user is like-minded to a specific target, he can freely hear heir thoughts' so I guess if you think like me we can communicate freely."

"So basically, I have to think like a boring lecturer with secretly evil intentions?"

"**H****it the nail on the head kid."**

"Well I don't think I'll be doing that anytime soon" Naruto guessed.

"**Kid, you should get back to training, and remember use only a little bit less chakra," **

"Yeah Naruto, it should only be about as much chakra needed for a third of the _substitution jutsu_, got it?"

Naruto rolls his eyes while walking back out of his mindscape, "Yeah yeah, geez you two nag like a couple all the time?" he said before having to dodge a tail of chakra and several kunai on his way out, laughing his ass off as he went.

################################

Coming back to his body, Naruto waited til Sasuke was just about to step onto the tree again, "IVE GOT IT!" he shouted, throwing off Sasuke's concentration and causing him to shoot from the tree on his first step.

Scowling, Sasuke turned to Naruto. "Dammit dobe I almost….had it?" he muttered, only to realise Naruto wasn't there anymore, "Naruto?"

"Yeah teme?!" Naruto shouted from his place at the very top of his tree, out of Sasuke's sight.

Sasuke scowled before getting back to practicing, 'I won't be left behind!' he thought in determination.

Kakashi appeared in a 'poof' on the tree facing Naruto, book in hand "Good work Naruto, since you finished before Sasuke why don't you go set up the team's tent?"

With a small chuckle, "Nah I'm good sensei, I already have a six man tent set-up right here." Naruto said patting his sealing belt.

Curiously, Kakashi asked "You're that proficient at sealing already Naruto? Most Shinobi don't get taught proper sealing methods until they become Chunnin."

Scratching the back of his head sheepishly, "Well in all honesty sensei I just bought the belt with pre-made sealing pouches, all i know is that it'll help with my 'Specialty'."

Kakashi raised a brow, "Specialty? What have you chosen?"

Turning to Kakashi, Naruto became serious as he spoke, " Assassination."

Kakashi's eye widened, shocked at the change in his student, "Naruto are you sure you've made the right choice? It's a bit early, and I don't think you understand what is needed for that line of work."

Looking at his sensei seriously, Naruto smirked darkly as he spoke, "I know who I am and what my purpose is, I made a promise to Hokage-Jiji. I will fulfil that promise, even if I have to fall into darkness to do so."

Kakashi stared at Naruto, putting away his book and standing straight, "Naruto, I can't let you go down such a dark path. And I know that the Hokage would never ask you to do something so severe."

His smirk grew into a dark grin as he unsealed one of his shuriken, "Sensei, how many ninja have you seen that use giant shuriken as their primary weapon?"

Frowning, Kakashi thought hard, 'Actually I've only seen one Chunnin use such a method, so how would Naruto have become so proficient in such a rare fighting style?' he thought before asking "Not many, why?"

Turning away from Kakashi, Naruto spun twice before throwing the star in a wide arc towards a collection of trees. At such a speed, it sliced through fourteen of the enormous trees easily before curving back to Naruto where he caught it flawlessly, showing his control and power to Kakashi's wide eyes.

"Kakashi,"

Kakashi froze when he heard the way Naruto spoke his name, he glanced at Naruto to see a hard glare being directed at him.

"Can you imagine, what that one throw could have down to say, an army of enemy ninja?" Naruto asked before sealing his shuriken away.

Before Kakashi could reply, Naruto jumped down from the trees.

Kakashi sat atop the tree Naruto left him at, thinking about what Naruto said, 'Even though it's wrong for a child of his age to think like that, I can't dispute the logic. As a Shinobi, he already seems to be around Chunnin level, so it's logical that he has found a speciality. Even if I don't completely agree with it.' he thought with a sigh.

Kakashi thought back to Naruto's facial expression when he was imagining those trees to be enemy ninja, 'Then again, he seemed to actually enjoy the thought of killing others. Is it an influence from the Kyuubi?'

Kakashi heard footsteps coming up the tree he was on. Looking down, he saw Sasuke panting heavily but focussed on his goal.

Sasuke could see the top of the tree now, 'Amost there! I can't be left behind by those two!' and with one last push and a boost of chakra, he landed on a branch just under Kakashi.

With a sigh of satisfaction Sasuke lied back against his branch, looking up at the sky 'It's almost dusk? I must've been out here for hours. Hm, at least I know I got this mastered.' Then he noticed Kakashi's curious face staring down at him.

"Sasuke, I see you finally made it." he said with an eye-smile.

Sasuke just closed his eyes with a smirk, "Hn."

Turning away from his student, Kakashi mumbled "Good to know one of my students haven't changed."

This got Sasuke's attention, "Changed sensei?" he asked as he pushed himself into a sitting position.

Kakashi turned to Sasuke and sighed, "Sasuke let me ask you something, what is your focus for becoming a ninja?"

Sasuke's look darkened, "To hunt down the man who killed my clan."

"And how are you going to do that, hm?" Kakashi asked.

Sasuke looked at Kakashi frustrated, "I'll track him down."

With a raised eyebrow, Kakashi asked the simplest question. "How?"

Sasuke was about to retort before he stopped himself, 'How am I gonna do that? I have no skills in tracking.' He thought as he searched his mind for a response.

Kakashi interrupted Sasuke's little epiphany, "Every ninja picks a speciality that they will pursue as their main focus, most of the Uchiha clan chose to become combat specialists. But there are those that used their Sharingan to pick up on subtle changes in the environment to track where a person has been."

"So I will learn to do both," Sasuke spoke confidently.

"It took the average Uchiha near fifteen years to master their tracking skills" Kakashi informed, breaking Sasuke's confidence. "Although every now and then, there are ninja that pop up once a generation that can be a jack of all trades. But usually a master of none, do you understand what I'm saying Sasuke?" Kakashi asked.

Sasuke frowned up at his sensei, "You're saying if I'm going to be strong enough to beat him, I won't be able to find him. And if I can find him, he will slaughter me."

Kakashi nodded, "Yes, that is why we put you on teams." Kakashi said, causing Sasuke's face to light up in realisation.

"So you're saying with our team, we could get him?" Sasuke said.

Again, Kakashi nodded. "It's definately a possibility, now what would you say your specialty will be Sasuke?"

Sasuke thought hard, "Probably hunting, it'll complement Naruto's choice well and together we can fulfil my goal."

Kakashi was startled, "You know about Naruto's choice in specialty?" he asked.

Sasuke nodded with a "Hn."

'Hmm it seems these two are closer than I realised, maybe i can use this.' he thought as he formulated his next question, "Do you know why Naruto chose….Assassination?"

With a shrug, Sasuke said "Yeah, he says it was the Third Hokage's wish that Naruto be able to protect the village. Naruto thinks this path will help him do so to the best of his abilities."

Now it was Kakashi's turn to have an epiphany, 'Maybe it wasn't darkness I heard in Naruto's voice before. Just cold hard determination.' he thought, convincing himself that Naruto wasn't taking pleasure in the thought of killing.

Standing up Kakashi turned back to Sasuke, "Well I guess as a sensei, it's my job to make you both well rounded ninja and help you maximize your chosen specialty. We'll do so after we finish this mission."

Sasuke got up as well, "Speaking of the mission Kakashi sensei, you haven't actually debriefed us on what it is we've been hired to do."

"Well then let's return to camp, I'll inform everyone at once." And with that the two ninja jumped down from the treetops.

Naruto looked up from his spot next to Sakura's head, "Ohayo sensei, teme. You up for some meat?" said Naruto gesturing to the roasted boar sitting over the fire.

Looking at Sakura's head Sasuke asked, "What did you do this time?."

Sakura glanced up at Naruto who was halfway through a stick of meat before looking back to Sasuke, "I wanted to sleep next to you in the tent Sasuke-kun, but Naruto-baka put my stuff in a separate compartment in the tent."

Kakashi looked at Sakura, "He buried you for that?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto stopped chewing to reply, "Nah, I buried her for trying to steal a pair of Sasuke's underwear."

"HEY in my defence, I ju-MMMFF"

"I think she likes the taste of tape, guys." Naruto said with a cheeky grin.

Kakashi raised a brow at Naruto, "How's she gonna eat if her mouth is taped shut?"

Sasuke sat down on the other side of Sakura's head, "We'll leave some for her sensei."

With a sigh Kakashi took a seat opposite his team, "Alright, I guess now is the best time." he said, pulling out the mission scroll.

"Time for what sensei?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke leaned forward to explain, "He said to me that he was finally going to give us the mission details." Sasuke said with an excited glint in his eyes.

"So if you wouldn't mind Naruto..?" Kakashi gestured to Sakura's head.

Rolling his eyes and putting down his meat, he replied "Okay I got it." he then he dove under ground, and resurfaced pulling Sakura up with him feet first. "Done."

Ripping the tape off of her mouth, she scowled at Naruto before smiling at Kakashi, "Thanks sensei, and for your information Naruto I HATE YOUR DAMN TAPE."

Before he could reply Kakashi spoke, "We don't need to hear about your weird fetishes Sakura," she flushed bright red while Naruto and Sasuke smirked at her from each of her sides. "Now, as you know this a C-rank mission. But what you don't know is that it is a clean-up mission."

Sakura asked the obvious question, "Clean-up mission?"

Kakashi nodded, "Yes, you see there was an A-ranked mission the take out a rogue ninja that was leading a band of thugs across fire country robbing all the travellers they came across, and with that mission being successful. The leftover bandits and thugs split into two groups under the ninja's two apprentices. Now, there are two small thug and bandit camps around the last vicinity the ninja was seen. We, are to capture at least one leader of either small group and kill off the rest. Understood?"

Naruto smirked towards his sensei, "I'm guessing we will take one camp at a time right? With us gennin taking out the weak ass 'thugs' while you handle the big boss men?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi nodded, "Precisely, but first. We will be heading to meet the mayor of the small town that hired us, they should only be an hour away if you can all use your recently learned skills so we can tree hop there. Think you can handle it?"

Team seven smiled and saluted, "HAI SENSEI!"

Kakashi eye-smiled back, "Alright, off to bed then, we leave at dawn once more."

#######################

Chapter End


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: MISSION: BANDIT CAMP CLEANUP!

From his vantage point behind the leader's tent, Kakashi could see the whole bandit camp. "Are you guys in position?" Kakashi asked over the communicators.

"Flower here, in position."

"Flame here, in position."

"Fox here, ditto."

With a sigh Kakashi sent the three children to make their first kills, "Alright, begin stage one."

Soon after sending the command, Kakashi saw a single giant shuriken get flung straight into the entrance of the camp and heard Naruto shout, "SHURIKEN SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!"

One shuriken suddenly became one hundred, entering the left flank of the camp and shredding tents, people and weapons alike. "AAAHHH MY ARM!" "HELP WE'RE UNDER ATTA-huk!" "HIBOSHI NOO! I'LL KILL WHOEV-AAAAAAHHH!"

Naruto's attack had been successful in killing a third of the bandits, while herding the others to the right side of the camp. This was all part of the plan, Kakashi yelled into his mike, "Stage two now!"

From Kakashi's far right he heard Sasuke yell, "FIRE STYLE: FIREBALL JUTSU!"

He looked over to see a massive fireball burning through the right half of the thug camp, taking out half of the remaining bandits, killing some instantly and forcing others to suffer through the pain of being burned alive and forcing all the remainders into the centre of the camp in front of the leader's tent.

"Stage Three Go!"

Throwing down a ton of explosive seal tags, Sakura dropped her henge from amongst the leftover bandits just as the leader stepped out of his tent, kunai drawn.

All the bandits turned to her in shock as all the tags started to light up, Sakura just smiled, "Bye Bye", and then she was pulled underground.

Not a second later, the tags went off taking out the rest of the thugs in the camp and severely burning the leading ninja apprentice.

With a sigh of relief, Kakashi lifted his hand to the reciever around his neck one last time, "Looks like you guys didn't need me after all, begin with the final stage."

Turning off his communicator, Kakashi turned back to look at the damaged leader as he got to his knees, "COME OUT AND FACE ME COWARDS!" the apprentice screamed. only receiving silence in response.

"TOO GOOD TO FINISH ME OFF?! I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU!" he screamed with bloodshot eyes as he breathed deeply and looked around to find his attackers

the camp was silent for nearly a minute, then the ninja jumped when he heard a chuckle from behind him.

He turned around just in time to see a giant shuriken speeding towards his head.

###############################

Meeting up with Kakashi back at the rendezvous point, Naruto smiled at his teammates, "First camp, done and dusted." he said with a thumbs up.

Sasuke smirked and answered with a "hn."

Sakura on the other hand had a deep scowl on her face, seeing this Naruto turned to her, "Eh? Sakura what's wrong?"

Sakura grabbed her hair tips and showed them to Naruto, "You didn't pull me down soon enough! That damn explosion burned some of my hair off! That's what's wrong!" she screamed.

Sasuke glanced at Sakura and looked at her new hairdo, "…..I like it short Sakura." he said, not realising his mistake.

Instantly, Sakura looked at Sasuke with hearts in her eyes, "Really Sasuke-kun? Should I cut it more? Do you like the black? Coz I can dye it, how about i-MMFFF"

Kakashi smiled at Naruto's handiwork, "We have twelve hours to infiltrate the next camp, this time I don't want organised destruction. You are going to infiltrate the camp and take out as many thugs as you can before they notice and give me an opening to come into contact with the ninja, we have to capture this one." Kakashi said with an eye-smile.

Naruto frowned, "But sensei I like the explosions." Naruto whined.

Kakashi sighed, "Fine, while infiltrating set up key points and rig them with sensor explosive seals set for chakra reactors, make sure they're done by six o'clock. By this point you must all be with distance of a quick exit. But remember, we must get every single thug. If one escapes then we don't get paid."

Sasuke stepped up next, "I have a plan if you guys wanna hear it," the group nodded to him. "we each take out a man from near the entrance, the left flank and the right of the camp and transform into their appearance. Then using those disguises, we casually walk around the camp setting up the explosive seals. Now, assuming someone approaches us, just pretend you're feeling sick run to the nearest outhouse, take out someone there, and take their appearance. At ten-to-six all three of us meet outside the entrance to the leader's tent. This is when Kakashi sensei will casually walk in the front gate and using hand-to-hand only, start taking out the thugs drawing as much attention as you can. Think you can handle it sensei?" Sasuke asked.

Kakashi just eye smiled and said "I am an Elite Jonin Sasuke." he said with a chuckle.

Sasuke smirked in response, "Good, you will slowly fight your way towards the leaders tent. In the resulting confusion, Naruto, Sakura and I will sneak away into the tent and set the final explosive notes. Then at six, boom. Up goes the camp in flames, the lead ninja panics. Kakashi focus' on capturing him while we handle the remaining thugs."

Naruto and Sakura just stared at Sasuke in shock, "…Hey, teme I think that's the most you've ever said." Naruto said with chuckle.

Sakura just thought through the amazing plan in awe of Sasuke, staring at him with love heart eyes.

Smirking, Sasuke turned to Kakashi, "Sound good sensei?" he asked.

Kakashi nodded, "I'm impressed Sasuke, it turns out you may be a natural tactician. This goes along well with being a hunter or tracker ninja. I'd just add one thing; every few steps, each of you must scratch your face or head, this will alert each other not to try and take you out. That would be a huge stuff up if two of you ended up attacking each other." Kakashi said with an eye-smile.

"Hai sensei!" a recently untapped Sakura said.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, apparently having spoken more than his quota today.

"ALRIGHT! We're gonna finish this mission for sure!" Naruto cheered.

##################################

_Taking action: Sakura._

At five pm sharp; Sakura appeared sneaking up to the left-most tent in the clearing in the form of a field mouse, Sakura was quite lucky to find a thug who had just stepped out of view and was starting to take a piss.

Sakura undid the transformation jutsu, and without making a sound stood behind the thug, kunai in hand, 'Am I really ready for this? Killing a defenceless man in cold blood?' Sakura thought to herself while her hands shook.

**'SHANNARO!ITS FOR THE GOOD OF THE MISSION!'** Inner Sakura screamed, almost causing Sakura to jump.

She nodded to herself and took a deep breath, 'Alright geez.' she thought before taking action.

Sakura wrapped her arm around his head, covering his mouth. Then plunged the kunai through his back, straight into his heart. "I'm sorry," Sakura whispered to him, and with a small gurgle the man went limp in Sakura's arms.

Looking close to throwing up, Sakura quietly dumped the body in one of the nearby bushes, 'I hope no one finds him.' she thought as she placed the bloody kunai back in her pouch.

Sakura then used the transformation jutsu to take the guy's form and walked back into the camp.

Looking around, Sakura casually walked to what she was told was the main storage tent, 'I sure hope the mayor's map was accurate,' She thought.

'**IT WAS LAST TIME! SHANNARO!'**

'Okay okay calm down.' she thought with a sigh.

Entering the tent without being disturbed, Sakura froze when she saw another thug squatting down next to a huge box of stolen money. Upon hearing her entrance, he jumped up and turned around shaking his hands nervously. "Hey man, I swear this isn't what it looks like! I would never steal from the leader's portion of the loot, honest! Please don't tell him!"

Sakura raised a brow while looking at him, and replied smoothly, "Fine, I didn't see anything" reaching up and scratching her face three times to make sure the thug saw it, just in case it was one of her teammates. She realised he wasn't when he just looked back at her with an untrusting gaze.

"And why should I trust what you say?" the thug asked, clearly suspecting Sakura to turn him in to the 'leader'.

Thinking quickly, Sakura's transformed face just smirked back at him and replied, "'Coz it's the reason I'm here too."

The thug's gullible smile was like a beacon of hope to Sakura, "Really? Sweet! Hey listen we can't take too much or it'll be obvious, but I've found a way to make it look like it's filled to the brim but it's actually empty starting about a half a meter from the top. In fact, I think someone else has tried this as well before us." the thug said as he turned back to grab more money.

Sakura came up behind the man drawing her still bloody kunai again, "Hollow on the inside? How do we access it?" she asked as she steeled her resolve to kill again.

The thug grabbed some of the coins and shoved them in his pocket, "This whole side just falls away, I only discovered it by accident. Hurry before someone-ECK!" and he fell to the ground with a kunai lodged in the base of his neck.

Sakura found the opening in the box and stuffed the corpse inside in a hurry, 'I hope nobody comes in.' she thought.

Just before closing it up Sakura saw four small blocks of solid gold. 'Holy shit! They must be worth a fortune! Well, these thugs aren't gonna need it.'

So, Sakura grabbed the gold and sealed them inside a sealing capsule from Naruto's belt, "Thank the Log Naruto gave Sasuke and I one of these for this mission."

After placing down a few concealed explosive notes, Sakura made her way outside of the tent and moved on towards the next target on her list.

########################################

_Naruto._

Stealthily coming up behind one of the four outer guards, Naruto threw a small stone at a rock on the other side of the entrance path.

The four guards turned towards the sound with their guard up allowing Naruto to pull the guard at the back of the formation underground soundlessly, while snatching his sword. Quickly popping up in his place, Naruto activated the _transformation jutsu_, taking the form of the thug he just defeated.

'Hmm now what would be the best way to get to the medical tent without being found out?' Naruto thought looking at the guards returning to their calm states, he came up with a crazy idea.

Naruto raised his head with a hidden smirk, "Hey guys, I'm thinking of killing you all and this stupid leader, and then taking the winnings for myself. What do you think?"

The nearest guards looked at him incredulously, "Yeah I thought so," Naruto said with a smirk while whipping out the stolen sword. Naruto cut the throat of the two most nearby thugs before slashing the chest of the last one open and thrusting the sword up to the hilt through the guard. 'Hmm, way too easy.' Naruto thought letting out a dark chuckle.

Making a thin cut on his own chest and editing his illusion to show a shallow wound there he yelled in two different voices, "AHH TRAITOR" "TRY IT THEN" "HAAAA".

A few seconds later two thugs came running out of a nearby tent, swords drawn. Just at that time, Naruto dropped his last kill to the ground and stumbled back holding his chest, "Oi you two, a little help? This traitor just killed two men and almost took me with him."

"Hai Chojuro-san" thug 1 said putting his sword away and rushing to his aid, "Hey Mubi-san, can you watch the entrance for me while I help Chojuro-san to the medical tent?" thug 1 said to thug 2.

With a small nod and a grunt thug 2, now called Mubi, took watch while kicking the corpses off the main path. "Hurry up you two."

Thug 1 started leading Naruto to the medical tent, everyone clearing the way to let them through, so focused on the huge gash running across 'Chojuro's' chest, nobody noticed Naruto dropping rolled up explosive seals every now and then.

Upon entering the 'medic' tent, thug 1 laid Naruto down on one of the cots. "I know we don't have any doctors or nurses here, but I can grab some gauze for you if you want? But I ain't your baby sitter, you can wrap your own wound. I'll go give the news to the leader, this is the third betrayal this week."

Thug 1 turned to walk away, but found himself with a sword stabbed through his chest, "ACK-" and a kunai through the neck.

Dragging thug 1 underground, Naruto changed his appearance to match the thug he killed. 'Once again, far too easy.' Naruto thought as he spread a few explosive notes around the tent before heading on his way.

Stepping out of the tent another thug approached him, "Hey Higure, what happened to Chojuro?"

Smirking are his new name, Naruto said "I'm not sure man, he said there was a traitor and then started babbling about seeing his life flash before his eyes. I got annoyed so I just left."

The new thug scoffed asked Naruto in a hushed voice, "Typical, you always were an asshole. Do you think it's because of the job he was sent to do yesterday?" Thuggie asked.

Naruto raised a brow, "Which job?" he asked.

Thuggie looked at Naruto incredulously, "You know, the little girl from that bone clan? Leader has her chained up to a bed in his tent, says she'll bring about a new generation of super-ninja."

Naruto's face lit up in fake realisation to hide his growing rage, "Oh yeah, how could I forget that.."

Thuggie patted Naruto's shoulder, "It's alright, everyone has their moments. Hey you want me to come with you to report this? You seem a little shaken yourself."

Naruto wanted to find out more about this bone girl, "Sure, let's go." he said with a nod.

And with that Naruto followed the thug to the tent of the leader.

_##################################### _

_Sasuke._

"Alright Sasuke, remember you don't have to infiltrate. Just take out all the thugs in the outer most tents, then move in. This will train your stealth, which is vital for a hunter ninja. Get it?" Kakashi spoke quietly to his pupil from inside the first tent.

Sasuke scowled at his sensei, "Yeah I know, it was my idea." he said.

Eye-smiling at Sasuke, Kakashi stood straight muttering, "I was just making sure" then poof. He was gone.

Looking around the tent, Sasuke found something he could work with. A grappling hook on a long piece of rope.

Lifting the flap of the tent to the side, Sasuke peered out to survey his surroundings. It appeared that there were six thugs constantly moving around this area in the worst guard formation Sasuke had ever seen. Also, there was a guard on three of the eight tents in the area, and an unknown amount in each tent.

'Just have to wait for the opportune moment..' Sasuke thought looking at the thug closest to him, which was only in line of sight of one other thug guarding a tent. The second thug started to yawn and closed his eyes while stretching, 'NOW!' Sasuke thought as he let the hook fly.

It snagged the first thug around the neck and with a strong heave, the thug's neck snapped and he was flung towards Sasuke. Sasuke caught the flying corpse and threw him inside the tent.

By the time the second thug stopped yawning and opened up his eyes, all he saw was Sasuke plunging a kunai into his throat.

Quickly taking action, Sasuke kicked the now dead thug into the tent he was guarding and dove in behind him. Only to look up and see another thug halfway through a sandwich and staring at Sasuke in shock, he tried to call out, "What the fu-ACK!" but his neck was snapped with the grappling hook.

Smirking at the grappling hook, Sasuke thought, 'Hmmm I'm pretty good with this, maybe I should invest in training with a Kusarigama when I get back to the village..'

Cleaning off his kunai, Sasuke set some explosive notes in the tent before heading onto the next set of thugs.

###########################################

_Thirty minutes later, five forty five. Sakura._

She finished up with her last target, the barracks now had twenty explosive seals spread throughout the sleeping bunks. Sakura made her way to the rendezvous point to meet up with what should be a disguised Naruto and Sasuke.

Arriving at the chosen destination, she saw another thug walking up to the same spot from the other direction. She raised an eyebrow at him and scratched the top of her head, the agreed upon signature for Sakura. The thug smiled and scratched the left side of his nose, meaning it was Sasuke.

Standing next to each other for a few moments in silence, they both started to worry about the whereabouts of Naruto when a smaller-than-average, bug-eyed thug came running up to them. "Eh? Makushi and Renmai? It's you two? Well okay, then," the thug said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "Higure told me to give this to the two people I found at this location so I guess that's you, he said it was a top secret mission straight from leader-sama." Raising a brow at the energetic, but seemingly crazy man, Sasuke took the note and opened it.

Sasuke's eyes widened when he read the scrawl;

'_H__ey teme and/or Sakura,_

_I've managed to fully infiltrate the leader's tent, I thought I heard something about a prisoner in here so I had to check it out. Start the final part of the set-up without me, I'll meet up with you during Kakashi's distraction. You'll know it's me cause I'll be the thug with a backpack running from the east side of this huge-ass tent._

_Let's get ready to fuck this shit up!_

_Fox_.'

Sasuke nodded, "Message received. We'll start this first thing in the morning,"

The crazy little messenger nodded, "Hm, ok I gotta head off. There's a bunk with my name on at the barracks, later."

Sakura nodded back, "Later." And off he went.

"Let's go Sakura it's almost time for sensei's distraction," Sasuke said quietly.

"Hai Sasuke-kun" she agreed, and off they went to surround the leader's tent with low powered explosive notes.

_######################################### _

_Five fifty five. Kakashi._

Ready for his part of the plan Kakashi casually walked out of the woods, putting away his book and heading towards the main gate.

The thug on guard, Mubi, yelled out "HALT STRANGER," drawing the attention of a few passing thugs.

Kakashi just speed up slightly, now jogging while pulling out a kunai.

A random thug yelled , "SHIT! WE HAVE AN ATTACKING SHINOBI! SPREAD THE WORD! GET BACK-UP QUICK!" by this point Kakashi's jog had turned into a full on sprint.

'Four minutes to go,' Kakashi thought as he slashed the throats of three thugs within a second.

_##########################################_

_Naruto._

A man ran into the leader's private tent yelling "SIR! THERE IS A NINJA ATTACKING OUR MEN IN THE COURTYARD!"

The leader jumped up, "What? When did this start?"he asked in confusion.

"Just a moment ago sir!" the thug yelled.

Thinking for a second, the leader said "All men converge on the ninja, you will easily overwhelm him with your numbers, if it's not taken care of in five minutes I will handle it myself." he ordered seriously.

Nodding quickly the thug yelled "Yes sir!" before running out of the tent with the leader's private guard behind him.

"Umm leader-sama? Did you want me to fight too?" a 'worn out' Naruto spoke from his place next to the leader's chair.

"No, Higure-san. I have one last question about what happened, then you can rest in my personal quarters with my prisoner while I handle the moronic Shinobi that dares attack my camp."

'Higure' raised a brow, and thought 'Am I just that lucky? Or are all these thugs just that stupid?' "Hai leader-sama, what is it that you want to know?"

The leader turned to face Naruto, "As you know, there has been two other traitors found this week. Both of them seemed to be part of a larger plan. I think there is someone trying to over throw me,"

Naruto put on a shocked expression, "What makes you say that leader-sama?"

With a frown, he replied "It was something they said before we killed them, what was your traitor's last words?"

Naruto put on an act of concentrating really hard, "I think he said he was gonna kill us all, then you and take your cash and leg it."

The leader blinked in shock, "Oh, well that doesn't really fit with the others. Maybe this one just got greedy."

Naruto nodded, "That's what I was think-"

"LEADER-SAMA! HE'S KILLING ALL OUR MEN!" said a man running into the tent.

The leader sneered at the newcomer, "Fine I'll deal with him, but first let me grab my armour. Higure get some rest."

Naruto, or 'Higure' nodded. "Hai leader-sama."

And with that Naruto was left alone in the tent.

Naruto turned to the 'private quarters' of the leader and entered. He did not like what he saw.

A young girl around ten years of age was handcuffed to the bed. She was naked, showing her abused body making Naruto feel sick. She looked over at him with dead eyes, that's when he noticed she was also gagged.

Running over quickly, he tore off the gag and dropped his _transformation jutsu_. Causing her eyes to sparkle in recognition, "….nin ja?" she weakly asked.

Naruto nodded with tears in his eyes, "Yeah don't worry, I'll get you out of here." he said trying to undo the hand cuffs.

She grabbed his wrist weakly with her own, "Please…kill..me." she whispered.

Naruto looked down at her in shock, as she spoke "I... just wanted a... happy life... to find my father... to own a pet, to... live in a normal house. I wanted something...simple. But now," she took a deep shuddering breath, "I know this world will only... bring me pain so please... just kill me."

Looking into the poor girl's eyes, Naruto saw the reflection of himself. 'Is this what I would've turned out like after the all the beatings if Iruka sensei didn't accept me? Or if I never met the fox?'

Naruto met her gaze with his own determined one, "I will save you, you won't be part of this world anymore but you will have all that you want," Naruto promised while weaving a few hand signs.

Putting his hand on her forehead Naruto quietly stated, "_Ninja Art: Soul Drain."_ And absorbed her body into his own.

Clutching his head, Naruto forced down the second part of his jutsu with the help of the Kyuubi. **'Hurry kid, you can come handle this when you fall asleep tonight. You must meet up with your teammates.'**

Forcing himself up and re-activating his transformation, Naruto thought in reply, 'Thanks for the help fox, your right.' And with that, he grabbed a backpack full of stolen cash and trophies and cut his way out of the eastern side of the tent with the stolen sword.

#############################################

_Sasuke and Sakura._

Placing down an explosive tag on the east side of the tent, Sakura turned to Sasuke still in disguise. "That's the last of them."

At that moment a blade cut through the tent covering next to the them and out popped a thug with a back-pack on, "Uh-oh, umm please tell that you guys are you guys right? Teme? Sakura?"

Sasuke sighed and dropped the technique, "Yeah dobe it's us, what would you have done if it wasn't?"

Naruto turned to Sasuke and scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "Umm fuck shit up?"

Sakura dropped her technique with a sigh, "Naruto, you baka."

"We should move, now." Sasuke said seriously.

Naruto raised a brow at his teammate, "Why teme?"

Sasuke looked over towards the centre of the camp, "Its six o'clock." And that's when the first explosion went off.

_################################################## # _

_Kakashi._

Kakashi ducked under a spear and guided it into the stomach of another thug. He then slipped between the strikes of two swords and impaled the users on them with a simple push.

Kakashi sighed 'Well at least I'm getting in some practice.' he thought. At that moment a kunai hit the ground in front of Kakashi, causing the thugs to back up.

The leading ninja stepped out of the crowd with an evil smirk, "Well well well, a lonely ninja has wandered into our camp. Tell me, why I shouldn't kill you right now?" he said as he unsheathed a basic sword and took a fairly decent stance.

Kakashi looked up at the nin, "Umm maybe you should just turn yourself in?"

The leader and his band of thug's laughter bellowed into Kakashi's ears, making him realise he was now surrounded.

"I am a disciple of the great ninja Yajirobi Moku! What makes you think you can even stand up to someone of my level?" the leader said with a smile.

Kakashi just raised a brow, "So you are a disciple of a Chunnin, making you what, around Chunnin level yourself at best. Correct?" he asked.

The leader sneered at Kakashi, "Scared now ninja?" he said mockingly.

Kakashi pulled out an explosive seal stealth fully as he began talking, "Not at all, at your age I was captain of the ANBU Black Ops in the Leaf village. Although at the moment I'm only a lowly Double A-ranked Elite Jonin. So sorry to disappoint, but I think you're a little out of your depth here." Kakashi said with an eye-smile.

The leader had gone pale at the Kakashi's statement, "H-hahAHA! I can tell your lying! Just trying to intimidate me? Hoping to catch me of guard right?" he stated nervously.

Kakashi shook his head, "Not at all, although I'm sure this'll catch you off guard." With chakra pushing out of his feet, Kakashi leapt high into the air while throwing down a single kunai with an explosive seal attached to it.

**BOOOOOOOOOOM**

The explosion set of a chain reaction for all the other seals in the camp. They exploded, killing or injuring every thug in the camp and pushing Kakashi higher into the air. Looking down Kakashi could see the heavily burned ninja escaped the worst of it with a late substitution jutsu. 'Shit, I thought he'd be flung this way so I could capture him. He's on the other side of the camp!' Kakashi looked where the ninja was heading and saw his squad in the ninja's path. 'I hope they can handle him, cause I'm gonna have my hands full with over fifty ticked off thugs.'

Kakashi landed and sprinted back to the camp while dodging a large amount of thrown spears, many arrows and some kunai. 'Good luck guys.' he thought to his team.

##########################################

Seeing the target fleeing from the fighting scene, team seven sprang into action immediately.

As Naruto unsealed one of his shuriken, Sasuke and Sakura jumped behind him and into the smoke of the unsealing, completely out of view as Naruto charged at the ninja.

Sasuke yelled to Naruto, "Remember we need to capture him ALIVE Naruto!"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah I got it!"

Naruto jumped into the air and threw his shuriken straight at the ninja who only just saw them charging at him, "Shit! More Leaf ninja!" he yelled as he dove out of the way of Naruto's shuriken which stuck in a nearby tree.

He looked up in shock as a shuriken that was in the shadow of the first tore his arm off, causing him to scream in pain.

Falling through the air, Naruto yelled "Now Sakura!"

Hearing the call, Sakura focused the perfect amount of chakra into her feet and started _skating_ across the ground going at an incredible speed.

As she passed the ninja she stuck her arm out and clothes-lined him with enough force to flip his body around twice, and land underneath the tree imbedded shuriken on his head with a painful crack.

Turning around, she yelled "Your turn Sasuke!" then she looked up to see the first shuriken Naruto threw 'poof' to reveal Sasuke right above the target. "Gotcha!" Sasuke yelled as he rammed four kunai into the man's shoulder and leg joints, pinning him to the ground and preventing his escape.

The ninja screamed before Sasuke dropped a solid knee into the ninja's sternum, knocking him out instantly.

Naruto landed from his leap and gave a thumbs-up to the others, "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!"

"Good work team," they turned around to see Kakashi walking over to them with blood on his sleeves and a good portion of his chest, luckily none of it was his, "I must say that was one of the most stunning displays of teamwork I've ever seen."

Sasuke smirked at their sensei, "Would you expect anything less, sensei?"

With an eye-smile, Kakashi spoke "Alright team, let's head back into town to collect our payment and turn in this guy."

"HAI SENSEI!"

######################################

Waving goodbye to the chubby mayor of the small town, team seven was set on their way back to the hidden leaf village, "Alright troops, we'll camp at the first grounds we find and tomorrow we'll do the full trip home." Spoke Kakashi with an eye-smile.

"Hai sensei," the team responded tiredly. Considering it was eleven o'clock at night, Kakashi thought it understandable.

Finding a little clearing and Naruto unsealing the team's tent, the wiped out team congratulated each other on a successful mission and fell asleep almost instantly. Excited for the journey home and the reports they had to give to the Sandaime.

###########################################

Chapter end

A/N: i just wanna thank everyone for the review and stuff, so umm...yeah thankyou all :) i'll try to reply to them all, im very sorry if i miss some! R&R  
Now edited!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: Celebrations, becoming a family and Naomi Kaguya.

* * *

**_Mindscape._**

**"Kit, the girl seemed very shaken when she arrived. But she seemed to calm down once she realised she could never be hurt like that again." **The fox said to Naruto upon his entrance.

Naruto looked at the still battered, bruised and undressed girl, curled up on the couch asleep. "well I guess it's time for me to finish my technique, otherwise she'll be overwhelmed by my consciousness."

Quietly approaching the girl, Naruto finished his set of hand seals and pulled on her chakra. The end result, was her body falling off the couch as an empty shell while her consciousness stayed asleep on the couch, now looking much healthier without the injuries of a body. And Naruto absorbing the physical abilities of the girl.

Naruto imagined a pale pink sundress on her small frame, and suddenly it was there. Picking her up, Naruto imagined a bed next to the couch, and so it appeared. Placing her down on the bed, Naruto and Mizuki had a long decent look at her.

She lay on her back in a pale pink sundress, with shoulder length white hair she appeared to be very young, age eight, maximum. Taking a look at her face Naruto noticed some strange birthmarks and pointed them out to Mizuki. "hey sensei, look at this"

Mizuki looked towards her face and recognised the marks instantly, "That's the birth marks of a Kaguya! Their warriors were legendary before they died out," indeed, there were two red dots on her forehead, and her eyelids where red as well. "I wonder how she survived alone like this?.."

She slowly woke up at Mizuki's loud statement. Seeing Naruto, she focused on him, "Ninja-san? Why didn't you kill me? They'll just come back for me again."

Startled that she awoke, he turned to her "Oh hey, I didn't expect you to be awake already."

**"Kit, she's just a soul now, spirits don't need to sleep." **Hearing the huge voice, the girl turned around to see the Kyuubi in all its fearsome glory. "is that a kitty? Can I have it?"

Mizuki barked out a laugh and fell on his back holding his stomach, and Naruto laughed to the sky with his hands on his hips.

The Kyuubi bristled, standing on its haunches it stuck it's snout through the bars and leaned over her, "**I AM THE ALMIGHTY KYUUBI! CONQUERER OF LANDS, THE NINE TAILED DEMON FOX"**

The girl smiled and patted the end of kyuubi's snout, "I'll call you Kyu-chan!"

This had Naruto and Mizuki falling onto the couch laughing so hard they were crying, "AAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA KYU-CHAN! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA."

Turning back to the laughing duo, she sees Mizuki for the first time. 'he has white hair like me, and hazel eyes so close to looking like my green ones.' Walking over to a now, mostly calm Mizuki, she pulled on his shirt to get his attention. "hey mister?" Mizuki looked down at her still smiling, "Yeah kiddo?"

Swallowing, she let out a quiet, "are… are you my dad?" this made all of the laughing stop.

Mizuki looked at the little girl in shock, "uh, I'm sorry but no I'm just Mizuki. I haven't had a child."

Hearing this, the girl looks down to the floor sadly, "oh, I just thought," she sniffed a little trying to hold back tears, "sorry, it doesn't matter."

Mizuki looked at the sad little girl and pulled her into a hug thinking 'I don't know if I'm asking this because the Kyuubi took away all my dark emotions or if I really do care, but I can't just watch such a young child be miserable.' "hey there, what's your name?"

With another sniffle, she spoke quietly "I don't have one, but the people that have owned me called me different things. My favourite was Naomi."

Smiling at Naomi, Mizuki asked. "I know I'm not your biological dad, but if you want I can be your dad for as long as we're here together."

Naomi's eyes lit up smiling at Mizuki, "Really?"

Mizuki picked her up in another hug, "Of course Naomi-chan."

With happy tears in her eyes, she hugged him with all her strength, "otou-san!"

Naruto looked at Kyuubi, "well this is unexpected,"** "indeed." **"you wanna eat her body while she's distracted?" **"oh yes! I've been waiting for another meal."**

Stealthily grabbing the corpse, Naruto threw is between the bars where Kyuubi swallowed it whole to avoid making too much noise.

Naruto approached the new family, "so Naomi, you seemed to recognise a ninja technique pretty quickly. Is it possible that you knew because you can do some yourself?"

Naomi turned in Mizuki's arms to face Naruto, "yeah, but only the three things that my first owner taught me."

The fox hummed in disappointment, **"it seems you will only be able to use her bloodline ability for what she was capable of when you did your jutsu Kit. It is unfortunate that you won't be able to advance such an incredible bloodline further"**

Mizuki put Naomi down in front of him, "so what can you do Naomi-chan?"

Fiddling nervously, Naomi pointed at the wall near kyuubi's cage, "_Bone bullet!" _she exclaimed shooting her finger bone at the wall at an incredible speed that Kyuubi was barely able to follow, making a large crack in the wall as the bone drilled into the wall.

Naruto opened his eyes wide in shock, "WOAH, that was awesome!"

Mizuki smiled at his daughter with pride, "that is amazing Naomi-chan!"

Smiling Naomi shouted, "I can do more! _Hidden bone!"_ a sharp bone poked out of the underside of her wrist joint and extended forward about the length of a kunai.

Getting Naruto's attention, Kyuubi said **"Kit, that skill would be perfect for up, close combat. And with the bone bullets aswell, you'll never have to buy kunai again."**

Grinning at the information, Naruto said "Oh man, this is gonna be soo sweet!"

"I can do one more, but you can't see it." Naomi said to the three others.

Mizuki blinked in shock, "huh? Why not?"

Naomi grinned, "because I'm doing it right now!"

The three just looked at her in confusion, "doing what Naomi?" Naruto asked

"the_ armour of bone jutsu, _it's a defensive technique that creates and moves plates of bone underneath the skin of the whole body to make an armour everywhere at once! When I was learning this technique, a stray kunai hit me right in the belly and bounced off, barely even leaving a small cut that didn't even bleed. It didn't hurt at all" Naomi explained with an even bigger smile, if that was even possible anymore.

Picking Naomi up and cheering, Naruto yelled "YATTA! Noone will stop me now Naomi-chan! Thanks a ton! With these new skills, no enemy will stand in my way," Putting Naomi down, Naruto turned to the other two "the sun's coming up now, I'm gonna go practice before my team wakes up, cya next time I'm asleep!"

He then ran down the corridor and into his body, excited of the use of the new skills.

Naomi pulled on Mizuki's arm again, "hey tousan? Umm what is Ninja-san's name anyways?"

Mizuki smirked and sat on the couch with Naomi by his side, "his name is Naruto Uzumaki, and at the rate he's growing, he will be Hokage one day."

* * *

Getting up, Naruto looked around to see that Sasuke had left the tent. 'probably more training, heh he does owe me a spar.'

Climbing out of the tent, Naruto saw Sasuke standing upside down on a tree branch doing crunches.

"Morning teme" Naruto said,

Sasuke just grunted in reply before doing two more and dropping down infront of Naruto, "morning dobe, did you realise you sometimes talk in your sleep?"

At that, Naruto looked at Sasuke thinking 'oh shit, what did I say? What did he hear? I'm sooo dead!' "what do you mean Sasuke?"

"As I was walking out of the tent, I heard you mumble, 'with these new skills, no enemy will stand in my way' did you uncover a secret technique or something on the mission?" Sasuke asked point blank, forcing Naruto to give him a straight answer.

Naruto started to panic, 'crap, crap, double crap, crap on a stick! What do I tell him?' **"kit, just repeat after me ok?"**

Turning to Sasuke, Naruto spoke "well in all honesty Sasuke, I'm a little freaked out. You remember when I thought there was a prisoner in that ninja's tent?" Sasuke nodded in confusion, "well I was half right, when I entered to where the prisoner was, there was just a bleeding dead guy sitting there. But when I went to check his pulse, I slipped in his blood and some of it ended up getting into a cut I made on my chest earlier on in the thug camp. And well it hurt, a lot."

Sasuke raised a brow and said, "so? You think you may have contracted something you can use from his blood as a weapon?"

Scratching the back of his head, Naruto looked at Sasuke seriously. "I don't think. I know." And in a dramatic movement, Naruto whipped out his new _hidden bones_ and showed them to Sasuke. "I did it by accident when I was in the tent grabbing the attention of a thug and on instinct, I leapt at him and the bones slid into his skin so easily. But he screamed, drawing the attention of the last thug in the tent. I turned and pointed at him, and suddenly," Naruto pointed to a near-by tree and shot off a _bone bullet,_ "that happened."

Sasuke just looked between Naruto and his new weapons in shock, "is that seriously your bones?"

Nodding, Naruto faked fear "I- I don't know what to do Sasuke, what if my bones keep growing out of me? I mean, I've noticed they grow back almost instantly, but seriously. This sucks!"

Sasuke grabbed Naruto's shoulder and slapped him, "keep it together Naruto, this team needs you. I don't care if you randomly shoot bones from your body and neither will Sakura. Your our teammate Naruto, and honestly….your my brother now. I will always help you like you've done for me. Alright? Now pull yourself together."

Naruto looked at Sasuke in real shock, "you think of me as a brother?"

Scowling, Sasuke replied, "yeah, I don't know when it happened but the fact remains that this team is the last thing I have left. I will protect the last of my new family with all that I am."

Naruto sat in silence before hugging Sasuke with tears in his eyes, "thanks, aniki. I've never had a family." Looking up at Sasuke's face, Naruto realised Sasuke was glaring at him with red eyes.

"just because your my otouto doesn't mean I won't hurt you. Get. Off. NOW!"

Naruto jumped away just as Sakura and Kakashi jumped out of the tent because they heard Sasuke yelling, "Naruto, Sasuke what happened? Why where you yelling?" Kakashi asked, his eyes scanning the trees for any possible threat.

Looking up at their sensei, Sasuke said "nothing's wrong, Naruto just startled me."

Sakura looked at Sasuke's eyes, "Sasuke-kun, your eyes are red." That caught Kakashi's attention, causing him to look at Sasuke's eyes.

What Kakashi saw shocked him, "Sasuke, you've activated your Sharingan!"

Sasuke's eyes turned to Kakashi, "really? I think I'd know if I activated my own bloodline sensei,"

"Look at me Sasuke, I want you to watch this." Kakashi said running through handsigns, "_Ninja Art: Chameleon jutsu,_ now Sasuke, walk over to where I'm pointing, Naruto, Sakura be quiet."

Sasuke walked over to where Kakashi was pointing, "how is this meant to prove I have my Sharingan?"

Kakashi nodded, "the Sharingan automatically sees through Genjutsu, and you just saw through mine. Naruto, Sakura. I want you to walk over to where I'm pointing now."

Naruto frowned while Sakura said, "but sensei we can't see you, you disappeared once you used that Genjutsu."

Undoing the Genjutsu, Kakashi turned back to Sasuke, "now do you remember that jutsu I just performed?" "Yeah" "I want you to tell me about it"

Confused, Sasuke suddenly realised he knew how to do the jutsu flawlessly and all the details about the jutsu itself. "the jutsu uses chakra to manipulate the signals between a target's senses and their brain to make it appear as if the user doesn't exist. How do I know that sensei?"

Kakashi eye-smiled, "that's the power of the first stage Sharingan."

* * *

"Names and details?"

"Kakashi Hatake and team seven returning from C-rank clean up mission"

Looking up from his clipboard, Izumo smiled at Kakashi, "welcome home you guys, and three days earlier than expected too. Nice work."

Naruto smiled at the gate guard, "thanks Izumo-san."

Sasuke just grunted out his classic, "Hn." While Sakura's face lit up with happiness at being praised.

Izumo smiled back to them, "don't need to thank someone for tellin the truth, the Hokage'll be waiting for you. You know how he is,"

"thanks Izumo," said Kakashi, "we'll be on our way, catcha later"

Izumo nodded, "mhmm, cya."

Taking the first few steps into the village, Kakashi turned to his team. "alright guys, we'll head to the Hokage tower and report the full mission, then everyone go home and clean up. We'll have some light training this afternoon and then I'll buy dinner, consider it a reward for your first successful C-rank"

"hai sensei," the team chanted back, happy with the idea.

Smiling at the others in her team, Sakura jumped onto a nearby rooftop "Race ya there!" and off she ran.

Running after her, Naruto yelled "Hey you cheated! No headstart!"

That's when Sasuke flew past him, "ANIKI WAIT UP!"

Kakashi was shocked at how Naruto addressed Sasuke, and many nearby villagers threw insults at Naruto, saying things like: "how dare that Demon try to befriend our Uchiha." "yeah, trash shouldn't mix with treasure."

Kakashi appeared behind the two gossiping villagers, "excuse me what did u say about my students?" He said casually with a kunai knife in hand.

The villages turned scowling until they saw that they were talking to a Jonin, "oh umm nothing at all sir" "yeah we were talking about… the birds!" "yes the birds!"

Kakashi just looked at them, "that was the worse lie I have ever heard, and I lie at least twice a day. Usually about the reasons I'm late for things…" Kakashi put away his knife as he trailed slowly behind his students.

Sakura arrived at the door to the Hokage's office and turned around to wait for the other two, they arrived ten seconds later neck and neck. "I totally won that one Aniki,"

Sasuke just smirked, "in your dreams otouto."

"actually boys, I won." Said Sakura with a curious grin, "why are you guys calling each other brothers?"

To cover up his brother's bravado, Naruto stepped up with a huge grin, "well Sakura, since I grew up without a family I started to see our team as a family. Sasuke finally accepted me and lets me refer to him as my older brother cause he understands the pain of not having a family member.."

Shocked at Naruto's confession Sakura just replied with a highly intelligent, "oh.."

Trying to diffuse the awkward silence, Sasuke started "so….where do you think Kakashi sensei is?"

At that moment the door to the Hokage's office opened and Kakashi stuck his head into the hallway, "ah there you are, I was wondering when you three would get here. Come in quickly, you've kept Hokage-sama waiting long enough."

Pointing at Kakashi in shock, Naruto attempted to speak, "wha-? How did you? But we were-? What the …?"

With the help of Sakura, Sasuke managed to pull Naruto into the office and sit him between them on the long chair against the wall, "I think you broke him sensei,"

Kakashi smiled at Sasuke and said, "good. That way he won't interrupt my report."

The Hokage watched on in amusement. 'it's hard to believe this team has only been together for such a short amount of time.'

Clearing his throat, Sarutobi returned everyone's attention to him. "right team seven, what is the status of your mission?"

Kakashi eye-smiled, "Completely successful, with a large bonus."

"Congratulations are in order then I suppose. Kakashi, I think this report would be better if you filled it properly instead of just telling me your interpretation. Here is some paper, get cracking."

Kakashi just looked at the paper with unblinking eyes, "umm are you sure Hokage-sama? I could just tell you what happened.."

With a wizened smile, the Hokage waved of Kakashi.

Sighing in defeat, Kakashi turned to his team "alright guys, meet up at our training grounds in two hours. Until then your free, ciao." And Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Naruto turned to the Hokage, "hey jiji, can we talk to you for a second?"

Raising an eyebrow in curiosity, Sarutobi replied "sure guys, what's wrong?"

Naruto and Sakura both looked at Sasuke. With a sigh, Sasuke looked at the Hokage and sent chakra to his eyes.

"The Sharingan?" Sarutobi asked quite stunned. "I must say Sasuke, it's quite amazing for you to have activated it at such an age. But I guess it's time now.." said Sarutobi, while reaching into one or the many drawers in his desk.

Sasuke frowned in confusion, "time for what Hokage-sama?"

With an aged smile, the Hokage pulled out a scroll with the Uchiha symbol on it. "after the incident involving your clan, the council and I decided that throughout the stages in your life you will receive one of the scrolls left by your clan. This one teaches about the visual Genjutsu used by your clan. Once you master these Genjutsu, your Sharingan should've increased into the second stage. At that time I will give you the advanced fire jutsus of your clan and the second stage sword scrolls."

Looking at the scroll in shock, Sasuke thought hard "thankyou Hokage-sama, but when it comes to the sword style could I swap it for the scrolls on tracking?"

The Hokage looked at Sasuke in shock, "tracking? I didn't know that was where your interest lies Sasuke-kun. Alright that's acceptable, master those visual jutsu and I'll have the next scrolls ready for you."

With a smirk Sasuke bowed to Sarutobi, "Domo Arigatou Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi smiled back, "it's the least I can do for the Shinobi of my village. Is there anything else you need team seven?"

Naruto looked up, "umm jiji? I got a question about a couple of jutsu I recently…umm stumbled across." Said Naruto seriously,

Sarutobi's eyes widened in recognition, "of course Naruto-kun, we can discuss that now if you want? Privately?" he said pointedly, looking at Sasuke and Sakura.

Sasuke got the message, "alright otouto, we'll get out of your way. Come on Sakura."

"Hai Sasuke-kun, so long," she hesitated looking hopefully at Naruto, "…Nii-san?"

Naruto froze in shock before smiling widely and hugging Sakura, he whispered "see you later, Onee-chan." Stepping away from the hug with a smile, Sakura bowed to the Hokage and grabbed Sasuke's hand and ran out of the office waving to Naruto.

Sarutobi watched the scene with a happy smile, " it seems your little family is starting to grow Naruto-kun."

Turning back to the old kage, Naruto replied, "Yeah Jiji, they're finally accepting me for who I am."

"I'm happy for you Naruto, do you remember the promise you made me when you became a gennin?" Sarutobi asked, his smile slowly becoming a frown,

Tilting his head to the side, Naruto asked "yeah jiji, how could I forget? I took those words as my nindo, I will protect the village and the will of fire no matter what, and I know my team will help me."

"and what if a member of your team tries to extinguish the villages fire Naruto?"

That question froze him, "what do you mean old man? They'd never do that, I know they wouldn't"

"but what would you do?"

Naruto stared at the desk in front of the Hokage, stuck in his thoughts. 'how could I choose between my family and my village? Kyuubi I need some help. **"just answer me this Kit, would you want someone in the next generation to live like you have? Alone?" **hearing the kyuubi's question, the answer to Sarutobi's became clear.

Making eye contact with the Hokage, Naruto answered seriously. "I'll do whatever it takes to ensure the Will of Fire lives on into the next generation. I will burn through all forces that try to extinguish the fire. And I will rise on top."

Sarutobi leant back in his chair, "good Naruto. Now what abilities did you gain from this absorption?"

Naruto raised his arm and out came the _hidden bone_. "I have three prized techniques from the deceased Kaguya clan, wielders of the Dead Bone Pulse bloodline."

Sarutobi's eyes widened in shock, "that will help you immensely on your path as a Shinobi assassin Naruto-kun, thank you for making our village stronger. Do you know if it'll pass on through your genetics?" Sarutobi's mind raced with the possibility of restarting the legendary Kaguya clan in Konoha.

Naruto nodded, "Kyuubi-san seems to think so, but my descendants will start with this level of control and it'll be extremely hard for them to advance any farther. Heck I can't at all."

"Good work Naruto, whatever cover story you come up with, I will back it up. Now, you are dismissed. Tell Kakashi at training tonight to come back tomorrow if he wants another C-rank." Sarutobi spoke.

Bowing, Naruto finished with "Hai Hokage-Jiji, see you tomorrow." Before diving through the floor of the Hokage's office with his jutsu.

* * *

Locking the door of his apartment, Naruto starts walking to the designated meeting spot for the team only an hour late.

Arriving at the scene, Naruto looks up to see Sasuke already waiting. Naruto raises his hand and is about to yell a greeting, when a pink blur speeds past Sasuke and tackles Naruto to the ground in a massive hug.

"wow Nee-chan, are you getting faster?" Naruto asked taking deep breathes from the painful glomp.

He looked down and saw Sakura's taped mouth and puffy eyes, she'd been crying recently. "Nee-chan?"

Sasuke was the one to answer him, "I told her about your…condition, ya'know, with the bones."

Looking at Naruto's face, she asked "Mmf mh mm mhmff?"

Helping Sakura back up onto her feet, Naruto taped her mouth shut. "yeah it hurts a little, but I'm getting used to it, and besides its nowhere near as painful as Iruka sensei's history lectures," even with the tape on, the boys could see Sakura's smile reach her eyes.

"Mmf mmhm?"

"yes really, actually I wanted to tell you guys about the Hokage's theory on how this happened," said Naruto, remembering the story he and Kyuubi fabricated during the small break.

Appearing in a puff of smoke, Kakashi started, "that sounds like it would be a good idea Naruto. In fact, we will go around the group and discuss how you each think the second part of the mission went starting with you Naruto."

"Hai sensei," Naruto said with a nod. "well my part in the mission went pretty much exactly as I planned up until I replaced someone who held some power inside the group, then it got pretty interesting."

Naruto thought back to the mission and recalled his cover-up version. "the big bad leader ninja asked to see me to discuss the 'betrayal' of the man I originally posed as, and he just asked me these really random questions until Kakashi sensei's distraction started. Which the leader ninja forgot about me and rushed out to the battle. So I snuck around placing explosive seals under all the important looking stuff, I was doing well until I came to the private quarters of the ninja. There was a dead guy just dumped in the corner of the room, I didn't realise he was dead at first but well.." Naruto trailed off, forgetting where his story went after that.

Fortunately, Sasuke thought that Naruto was just having difficulty retelling the 'traumatising' event. "it's ok otouto, I'll tell him the rest." Naruto just nodded.

Turning to their sensei, Sasuke told Kakashi what he was told by Naruto. "Naruto slipped in the blood and some of it entered a cut on his chest, Naruto said it was extremely painful for some reason. After dropping a few more explosive seals, he fought off two thugs that attacked him with some new abilities of his. Then cut his way through the tent till he found us."

Kakashi raised a brow at Naruto, "New abilities?"

Naruto whipped his hand to the side and shot two _bone bullets _through a nearby tree. "I have three abilities from the Kaguya clan. The Hokage said that the dead guy must've been a Kaguya, and his blood entering my body awakened some latent DNA in me and activated a watered down version of their bloodline."

Kakashi just stared at Naruto in shock, "well…..that's certainly not something you see every day,"

Turning to the kunoichi of the team, "Your turn I guess Sakura," she nodded as she finally pulled the tape from her face.

"hai sensei, well practically speaking. My part of the plan was executed flawlessly. With only one small change, which only affects our bank accounts," Sakura stated with a smirk.

Raising an eye-brow, Kakashi asked "what do you mean Sakura?"

Whipping out the sealing capsule Naruto had let her use on the mission, Sakura unsealed four full bars of gold. Giggling at the boy's shocked faces she said, "I reckon one each?"

Kakashi stared at the gold bar Sakura just handed to him, "Sakura, just one of these bars would be enough to buy a whole clan compound AND renovate the whole thing!"

Sakura stuck her tongue out jokingly, "well I guess we won't be doing missions for the pay for a looong time, neh?"

Sasuke looked at his bar and whispered, "maybe I can afford it after all," but Naruto heard him.

"Afford what Aniki?"

Sasuke looked up and realised everyone's attention was on him. With a sigh he started, "well I guess it's time for my report right sensei?" at Kakashi's nod, Sasuke began.

"My part of the plan went perfectly. Exactly as planned, I also found a certain weapon I may have a calling for,"

"What do you mean Sasuke-kun?" asked Sakura.

"I found a grappling hook and used it for over three quarters of my kills, using it to grab, ensure and kill thugs left and right. The only actual weapon I've seen that may work the way I used the hook is a Kusarigama, that's what I was hoping on buying and learning to use."

Sasuke turned to their sensei, "is there anyone you know that may be able to help me learn sensei?"

Scratching the back of his head, Kakashi was ashamed to admit "Sorry Sasuke, I really have no idea about a weapon like that."

Naruto looked up excitedly, "I may know someone who could help, his name is Dan Higurashi. He owns a weapons store around here."

Kakashi looked at his students, "hmmm, maybe instead of training Naruto could take us to this weapons store and we can hopefully help out Sasuke. And maybe even find a weapon for Sakura."

Sasuke's eyes sparkled in excitement, "let's go, lead the way otouto."

Jumping to his feet, Naruto was about to run to the Higurashi Ninja store when Kakashi grabbed his shoulder. "Maybe we should cash these in first," Kakashi said holding up his gold bar.

* * *

*ding-a-ling*

Hearing the door to his shop open, Dan Higurashi started his sales pitch. "Good afternoon and welcome to the Higurashi Ninja store, we have all your…oh! Hello Naruto! How are ya?"

Smiling at Naruto and his team from behind the counter, Dan noticed Kakashi standing at the back of the group. "hey there 'Kashi, how longs it been since I saw you?"

Scratching the back of his head sheepishly Kakashi chuckled, "hehe umm let's see, must've been the last time I was dragged into a council meeting."

Dan rolled his eyes, "you weren't 'dragged in'. You were late for a mission, causing it to be failed. And you couldn't give a good reason for doing so."

Looking up in thought, "oh yeah that's right.."

Interrupting the adult's conversation, Naruto yelled "hey Dan! My teammates need help finding a weapon to specialise in, think you can help?"

Dan took stock of the two gennin, "of course I can, and since they're your teammates I think I can give you a discount. What do you kids need?"

Sasuke stepped up first, "my name is Sasuke Uchiha, not 'kid',"

Dan brow raised, "the last Uchiha? You've come to the right place," seeing Sasuke's confused place, Dan explained, "when you clan was...um shall he say…reduced in number? Yeah well, many of their kata scrolls become public domain. This seemed like a prize for your average non-clan ninja but the problem was that no one could use them efficiently without the Sharingan, so people started selling them. And well, I'm a bit of a collector." He gestured to the large rack on his left and waved Sasuke over.

Sasuke was in awe at how many of the scrolls had the Uchiha clan fan on them. "these were all…from my family?"

Grinning down at Sasuke, Dan said "yeah, I was actually a close friend of your uncle's. he was an odd one, but he wrote most of these scrolls. You see he was a ninja tool specialist."

Sasuke looked up at Dan in shock, "Uncle Shozatsu was a ninja tool specialist?"

"sure was," Sasuke tried to remember his deceased uncle, but other than the fact he was a very serious man, Sasuke couldn't recall that much.

Seeing the look of loss on Sasuke's face, Dan patted his shoulder to get Sasuke's attention. "Y'know, if you ever wanna hear about him, feel free to come by. I'll be glad to share some of my memories with you."

Sasuke suddenly felt a small weight float off of his shoulder's, "Arigatou Higurashi-san"

Letting out a boom of a laugh, Dan exclaimed "Higurashi-san?! Haha you sound just like your uncle aswell! Please just call me Dan,"

Sasuke shook his head smirking, "nah, I think I'll follow in my uncle's footsteps Higurashi-san."

Smiling down at Sasuke he asked, "So what weapon do you need Sasuke-kun? A lot of the Uchiha were versed in swordplay, will you be choosing that aswell?"

Smirking, Sasuke replied "No thanks Higurashi-san, I'll leave the cleaving and cutting to Naruto. I was wondering, do you sell any Kusarigama?"

Dan's face lit up in happiness, "Now THAT'S a rare request, I have exactly what you need Sasuke. It was actually wielded by your uncle. Let me grab it for you, while you wait look at these two scrolls. The first is the leaf village's style of using it, and the second is the scroll made by your uncle. Including his special fire jutsu and techniques that work with the Kusarigama." Dan grabbed two scrolls from the shelf and gave them too Sasuke before walking over to Sakura who was looking over tools on the wall in curiosity.

"see anything that catches your eye?" Dan asked,

Sakura frowned, "not really Dan-san. I don't really know what I'm looking for.."

Dan thought for a second, "say, why don't you come with me out the back while I grab Sasuke's weapon? I got a huge display of every possible weapon you could think of."

Sakura smiled looking hopeful at Dan, "that would be great! Thanks!"

Heading into the back, Sakura looked around in awe at all the weapons. Each weapon laid on one of the seven shelves, with a picture of them in action underneath them, leading all the way around the massive room. Only stopping for two other doors.

"just have a look around and if you see something you like, tell me and we can test it out for you." Said Dan as he picked up a small case from inside one of the other rooms. "I've got to give this to Sasuke."

And with that Dan walked back out the front to where Sasuke was leaning against the counter with his uncle's scroll in hand.

"This is it Sasuke," Dan said getting the attention of the three people in the room. While sliding the case across the counter.

Reaching out to the case, Sasuke popped it open and pulled out a chain from the inside. Sasuke looked at either end of the chain and noticed two seals on each of the last links. "This was my uncle's?"

Nodding proudly, Dan said "do you want to test it out or..?" "I'll buy it now." "alrighty."

Handing over a large wad of cash to Dan, he asked "I assume the seals are storing either end of the weapon?"

Dan winked while handing Sasuke his change and a piece of paper, "you got it, here's some notes Sho had on the seals used on this baby. Trust me, it can do much more than you think."

Reading the piece of paper, Sasuke grabbed one end of the chain and pressed it to his chest. Glowing for a second with chakra, the chain suddenly wrapped itself around Sasuke's torso over his left shoulder and around to his right hip.

Picking up his scrolls, Sasuke bowed deeply to Dan. "Arigatou Higurashi-san"

Dan was about to replying when they all heard Sakura's yell of, "these are perfect!"

They turned to see Sakura running out of the room with new red bracelets on her forearms and on her biceps. On each of her pointer fingers was a little red ring. "Dan-san can I purchase these?"

Smiling at the girl's excitement, Dan said "of course Sakura-chan, but don't you wanna show your teammates what they are first?"

Nodding quickly, Sakura held her arms out to the side and sent chakra into the each new accessory. A seal on each band glowed for a second before Sakura's arms disappeared in a rainbow glow, when she swung them out of the glow Sakura showed her new weapons to her teammates.

On each arm, a long red and black painted steel bracer followed from her wrist to halfway up her biceps. On her hands, she had completely steel gloves which somehow didn't restrict her movement at all. They ended in sharp claws that extended about an inch past her fingers.

Dan asked Sakura, "Did you grab the information sheet sitting under the weapon?"

Nodding, Sakura pulled out the sheet, "it says these arm braces are chakra conductive, meaning if I send plain chakra through them they'll get much stronger, and if I sent my elemental chakra through them, they'll gain a special property depending on which type it is." Looking back at the sheet again, Sakura read "they also carry a paralysing agent in the claws, so I'll have to buy a few bottles of that agent in case the claws empty out…but they only release the agent when I want them to."

Kakashi nodded appreciatively as Sakura de-activated the braces, returning them to being red bands on her arms and fingers. "Great choice Sakura."

Dan looked on a little worried, "but Sakura did you see the price tag? It may be a bit more than," Sakura pulled out four wads of cash and put them on the shop counter, "…would you like a second pair?" Dan said as his eyes lit up with $$ signs.

Laughing at Dan, Sakura grabbed a set off chakra weights from a shelf near the counter "I don't think that'll be necessary, but these weights would be useful, do I need to pay more or is that still enough?"

The $$ signs gleamed in the light, "it's still more than enough walking-bank, I mean Sakura-chan." Dan said grinning oddly at her.

Backing away slightly, Sakura said, "umm, keep the change then."

Laughing at Sakura and Dan's interaction, the boys of team seven started dragging their sensei out the door, "thanks a lot Dan! We'll come back again soon okay? Maybe I'll bring more friends next time!"

The $$ signs grew larger, "GREAT IDEA NARUTO! BRING ALL YOUR RICH FRIENDS HERE!"

Sakura followed the boys out closing the door behind her, "Arigatou Dan-san, we'll see you later!" and off they went.

Sitting down and staring at the four HUGE wads of cash in front of him, Dan grabbed the top one and starting flicking through counting out the cash with a huge grin on his face. "thank the log for little ninja's and there growing need for weapons.."

* * *

"Alright guys, did you wanna stay in the village for a while and do D-ranks? Or ask Hokage-sama for a C-rank?"

Sasuke just looked at their sensei, "No D-ranks. Never again." Naruto and Sakura nodded in agreement.

Sweat dropping at his students, Kakashi said "ummm..okay, well we could grab one tomorrow morning. That way we can go over the mission set-up, plan for what's gonna happen, and leave in the afternoon."

Naruto smiled up at Kakashi, "Or you could go grab the mission straight from the Hokage himself right now, and meet up with us for dinner at Ichiraku's!"

Sakura thumped Naruto on the head, "Nii-baka! We're not going to Ichiraku's again."

Sasuke looked up at his sensei, "but otouto has a good idea about the mission. We'll wait here for you sensei, go grab one. Quick!"

Kakashi sighed, "you all want a mission so soon?" they nodded. "alright fine, I'll meet you guys in….the Falling leaf? It's just a few blocks over and it's a pretty decent place. Also, I think it has ramen…""TO THE FALLING LEAF!" Naruto yelled and ran down the street.

Sakura yelled to the distant Naruto, "you're going the wrong way! Damn he didn't hear me. Kakashi-sensei go get the mission, Sasuke-kun go get us a table, and I'll go get our Naruto. K?"

Sasuke just grunted out a "Hn" while walking away, and Kakashi managed a "Ciao." And poof'd into smoke.

Smiling at the situation, Sakura sent chakra to her feet and skated at an incredible speed after Naruto.

* * *

_With Kakashi._

Appearing at the mission hall in his signature puff of smoke, Kakashi realised they active missions were closed for the day and everyone was packing up.

"Ah Kakashi, what brings you here so late?" turning, Kakashi saw the Hokage who was getting ready to leave for his office.

"ahh Hokage-sama, my team wanted me to grab tomorrow's mission tonight so that we can discuss plans and tactics before heading out tomorrow."

Gesturing to a stack of scrolls, the Hokage stated "unfortunately, you were late. Again. So all the missions are packed up.."

The Hokage was interrupted by a knock at the door and a semi-nervous old drunk guy poked his head though the opening, "umm excuse me, I was told I could find the leader of this super village here?"

With a grin, the Hokage tilted his hat to the man, "I thank you for referring to my village as 'super' I am the Hokage. How may I help you?"

Stumbling in shock the man stood up straight, "oh sorry, I was hoping I could apply for a C-rank escort mission? That's the cheapest you've got right?"

The Hokage nodded to Kakashi, "I think you've found your mission Kakashi," turning back to Tazuna he said, "this is one of my Jonin Kakashi, he leads the best team of gennin we currently have, would that be enough protection Mr….?"

Smiling, the man said "Tazuna, Tazuna the bridge builder. And I think a Jonin and his squad would be super!"

Eye-smiling to Tazuna, Kakashi said "well Tazuna-san, tell me where we're going and when you wanna go and we'll be ready to head off."

Grinning at the thought of a full squad of battle hardened ninja, Tazuna said "First thing in the morning would be super! We'll be heading to the land of waves so I can build my bridge. Can you look after me until I'm done?"

Nodding, Kakashi answered "of course Tazuna-san. We will see you at the main gate at seven am. Not a moment later."

The Hokage turned to Kakashi, "And if anyone is late, I'll see to it that their favourite book is set on fire. Right Kakashi?"

Gulping, Kakashi replied. "O-of coarse Hokage-sama, seems fair. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a team to track down and inform them of the mission tomorrow. Ja."And off he poofed.

* * *

_With Sasuke._

Waling up to the maitre'd of the Falling Leaf, Sasuke asked. "a table for me and my team?"

Recognising Sasuke as 'the last Uchiha,' the man nodded straight away with a smile on his face. "Of course Sasuke-sama, right this way."

Rolling his eyes at the 'sama' Sasuke followed the man to booth next to a window facing the Hokage monument. "thanks."

A waiter approached the table, "can I get you something to drink while you wait for these teammates of yours Sasuke-sama?"

"Just some water will do for now," with the order placed. The waiter and the maitre'd bowed and walked away.

Without the distraction, Sasuke looked out the window in thought. ' I know I vowed to avenge my clan, but the only way to do so without my team would be to steal other's strengths with my Sharingan….I won't do that. I won't steal from my comrades.'

Having a small epiphany, Sasuke thought 'I wonder when my teammates became special to me? I used to just think of them as tools to help with my cause but now, I can't imagine my life without them. They're my new family.' At his Sasuke let a real smile appear on his face.

Making a decision, Sasuke vowed. 'screw Itachi, I have a new Nindo. I will protect my family, I will help them progress through life. Hopefully they will return the favour when it comes to Itachi, but they are the most important thing. I will never risk their safety.'

Sasuke's thought was interrupted by a ruckus at the entrance to the establishment. Turning to see what was going on, Sasuke turned livid.

* * *

_With Sakura and Naruto._

"the house is full, we don't serve demons." The maitre'd said scowling at Naruto.

Sakura was about to punch the guy in the face when Naruto stopped her, shaking his head, "sorry, I'll be going then. Sakura-Nee-chan, go and sit with Aniki. I'll just go home, I got some food there."

Sakura looked at Naruto in shock, while the maitre'd sneered at him. "that's right demon. Get out of here."

The man suddenly fell forward, with Sasuke standing with a foot on his back. Everyone in the restaurant stopped what they were doing and stared in shock at him.

Sasuke's waiter ran over to him, "Sasuke-sama what are you doing?!"

Sasuke ignored the waiter and looked at Naruto's shocked but scared face. 'I will protect my family, even I don't know why he's treated like this, I will protect him from the pain.' "I WANT EVERY ONE TO LISTEN TO ME, NOW!"

The staff, customers and even some people outside looked on in shock at the quiet Sasuke raising his voice.

Sasuke stepped off of the maitre'd and walked to stand in front of Naruto. Placing his hand on Naruto's shoulder, Sasuke looked around the establishment. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha, you treat my teammate like scum for some unknown reason. Well I've had ENOUGH!" the nearby staff stepped away in shock, "I don't care what the reason is, I don't care what he's done or what you believe him to be. If you dare treat Naruto Uzumaki, MY OTOUTO, the way you have been. You will find yourself buried in so much shit you won't be able to breathe."

Sasuke's waiter stuttered, "but he's the demon-"

*WHAM!*

Sasuke appeared in front of the waiter with his fist buried in the dry wall next to the waiter's head. "care to repeat that?" the man dropped the water he had been holding for Sasuke in fear.

Sakura walked up to Sasuke, who was crying in rage, glaring at the man infront of him. "c'mon Sasuke-kun, let's go." She said pulling Sasuke's bleeding fist and leading him over to a crying Naruto. She lead the two out of the restaurant before turning back to all the people staring at her.

With a dark sneer Sakura looked at all of them, "what he said," she paused activating her right arm gauntlet causing everyone nearby to step back in fear, "goes double for me." And with that Sakura turned and walked out while punching the door off of its hinges.

* * *

_Back with Kakashi._

Kakashi appeared in his classic poof of smoke and was about to walk into the falling leaf when the door suddenly flew off its hinges and down the street. He watched on in shock as Sakura stormed off down the street, de-activating one of her gauntlets. "oh my, that can't be good." Kakashi looked at where Sakura was heading to see a crying Naruto with Sasuke patting on the back while glaring at everyone that looked at them. "holy log, what happened?"

Kakashi poofed next to Naruto and Sasuke just as Sakura arrived next to them. "what happened guys?"

Sasuke looked at Kakashi and said, "let's just go to Ichiraku's. I'm not a fan of that place."

"Me neither," Sakura nodded in agreement with Sasuke. "it was cramping my style."

Looking at Naruto's face, Kakashi figured out what had happened, 'shit, they must've refused Naruto's entry. I hope Sakura and Sasuke's actions didn't escalate to bad.'

Standing up straight, Kakashi said "maaah, I guess you two are right, that place's ramen pales in comparison to Teuchi's anyway. Let's go."

Sasuke pulled Naruto to his feet and let him stand on his own, "you alright otouto?"

Naruto smiled sadly at Sasuke first, then the others. "yeah I'm good, thank you guys. I'm sorry that happened."

Kakashi patted Naruto on the shoulder, "you can apologise later. My offer to pay for your dinner runs out at midnight so let's hurry along neh?"

Smiling, Sakura grabbed Naruto's hand and pulled him along, "let's get going then! Last one there is a rotten egg!"

Naruto smiled happily this time and said, "Yeah, last one there has to buy next time!" and with that Naruto ran off after the quickly escaping Sakura.

Sasuke turned to Kakashi. "your just gonna 'poof' there once I leave aren't you?"

Kakashi looked down at Sasuke, "poof? I don't 'poof' anywhere, it's called a _Shunshin _and it goes like this." Kakashi disappeared in a…poof of smoke.

"dammit!" Sasuke yelled and started sprinting at full speed towards Ichiraku's. 'at least I know I made the right choice. I will protect my family.'

Chapter End.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter seven: Wave mission part 1.

Arriving at the gate, Sakura looked up to see her team waiting for her. "Mornin, how'd you sleep?"

Kakashi looked up from his book and nodded to Sakura, "perfectly adequate, thank you for asking Sakura."

Sasuke just grunted with a smirk towards her. While Naruto jumped up full of energy as usual, "Fantastic! I dreamed I was gonna become a swords master and completed my goal of becoming Konoha's top assassin!"

"A shrimp like you? An assassin? I think you're in a little over your head Blondie." Said Tazuna, walking up to the group.

Looking over at Kakashi, Tazuna asked. "hey Kakashi-san, where is your team of super gennin?"

Glaring at Tazuna, Naruto shouted "THAT'S US OLD MAN!"

Tazuna looked at the gennin in shock, 'these kids are the ninja supposed to guard me? Oh no, what have I done?'

Noticing the tension of Tazuna's shoulders, Kakashi stated to suspect something. 'Tazuna was fine when he thought a team of 'super ninja' was guarding him. But now that he's seen their age he underestimates them, which shows his fear of inadequate protection. Now, why would that be since he knows I will be guarding as well? Maybe he suspects more than thugs are going to be after him?'

Turning to his team, Kakashi said "alright guys remember what we discussed last night, formation one."

The gennin's faces turned serious, "hai sensei." And stood in a reverse pyramid formation around Tazuna with Kakashi crouching in front of Tazuna, Sasuke to the left, Naruto front right and Sakura behind.

"Alright, move out." Kakashi ordered.

Sakura stepped up behind Tazuna. Tazuna yelped as Sakura pushed him on to Kakashi's back. "And off we go," She said with a smirk.

With Tazuna piggy backing Kakashi, the team jumped into the trees.

Tazuna screamed out "WHAT THE HELL? I DIDN'T SIGN UP FOR THIIIIIIIIIIIS!"

* * *

Landing in a clearing the team set about scanning the vicinity for threats. Kakashi set Tazuna down on the ground. "I hope we didn't scare you too much Tazuna-san, it's just that travelling at this speed. We should be near your home by midday tomorrow if nothing impedes our progress."

Sitting down on a nearby log, a pale Tazuna mumbled out. "you ninja are crazy, if I hadn't fainted every time I woke up until like, half an hour ago. I'd have been super freaked out the whole way here."

Eye-smiling at Tazuna. "just take deep breaths Tazuna-san. We'll set up an early dinner, so why don't you relax"

Walking back into the clearing Naruto said, "Clear."

Sasuke and Sakura entered from their points at the same time, "clear over here as well sensei." Sasuke just grunted a confirmation.

"Alright, Sakura could you get started on boiling some water? Sasuke, help with the fire and set up what Sakura tells you too. She knows what she's doing and after the last time you or Naruto cooked….well let's just say I don't like food poisoning."

Blushing at the praise from her sensei, Sakura let out a "Hai sensei, Sasuke could you grab some wood?" Sasuke grunted again and starting towards a tree.

Tazuna watched Sasuke as he approached the tree, 'what's that kid doing? How's he gonna cut off a few branches without a ladder or axe?'

Tazuna gasped in shock when Sasuke started to walk UP the tree, "how's he doin that? Some kinda trick?"

Kakashi sat next to him, "nah just a basic chakra control exercise, a basic ninja skill."

Tazuna still looked on in awe until Sasuke disappeared into the branches above. He was then distracted by what Kakashi said next, "hey Naruto, can you go get us one of those wild boars we passed earlier?"

With a quick nod, Naruto replied "Hai sensei," and started taking off his travel gear.

Tazuna turned to Naruto, "Oi kid, how are you gonna manage to take down a wild boar? They're super dangerous."

Naruto looked at Tazuna and extended out the _hidden bone_ in his left arm, "I got my ways old man." And he leapt into the trees heading back the way they came.

At that moment, Tazuna decided that the boys on this squad were crazy. "at least the girl seemed rather normal," turning back to Sakura to try and get some normalcy he was shocked when he saw her cutting vegetables with the sharp claws of a blood red and jet black gauntlet. "…I give up, all ninja are crazy."

"Maybe a little, but we get the job done." Kakashi said to Tazuna with an eye-smile.

Not two minutes later, the two heard a loud Crack and looked up. Falling through the trees was three small branches about the size of a fully grown person.

They landed in a perfect pile next to Sakura, who didn't even flinch. "bout time Sasuke-kun, I need that fire going now."

Landing opposite Sakura, Sasuke said "Sorry for the delay, I had to find the perfect branches, otherwise I'll need to create a full fire pit, and we just don't have the time for that." Sasuke picked a branch and threw it into the air above Sakura, "catch."

Sakura just smirked and disappeared in a red blur that flew past the log four times in a second before sitting back where she was and started to fill a pot that she recently unsealed with water from her canteen.

Smirking at Sakura's nonchalant attitude, Sasuke ran through a set of hand signs. "Fire style: Ember." He muttered and spat a small fireball at the pile of logs the branch had become, setting them ablaze in seconds.

After that, Sasuke unsealed a metal grate on three legs and set it over the fire, "it's ready Sakura."

Sakura nodded while throwing the chopped vegies in the now filled pot and set it above the fire to cook. "now we just need Naruto to come back with that boar," Sakura said to Sasuke with a smile.

Sasuke couldn't help it, he smirked back to her watching her face glow in the firelight. 'she really is quite beautiful.'

His thoughts were interrupted by a grunt of effort. The four in the clearing looked over to Naruto as he entered with a boar that was twice the size of him over his shoulders. "this enough sensei?" he grunted as he dropped it in front of Sakura.

Kakashi sighed at Naruto while Tazuna stared wide eyed at the boar. "Naruto we'll only be here for two meals, we didn't need such a large kill."

Naruto shrugged, "big deal, Sakura can seal the meat in that time-lock seal she bought from Dan-san."

Sakura leant over the boar, and using her claws she cut off each of its four legs and set them over the fire to burn off all the fur and cook them. "I'm gonna clean this up before I seal it, don't want it to pop out all bloody and furry when I use the rest," said Sakura as she turned her attention to the corpse.

Tazuna just blinked twice, looked at each of the calm ninja and said one thing. "your super insane, all of you." Before passing out from the shock.

At this time, Naruto heard a twig snap from behind him. He turned around and scanned the area near the edge of the forest noticing nothing out of the ordinary, just some bushes, a squirrel darting up a tree, a puddle, 'wait a sec, a puddle? It hasn't rained in weeks.' Turning towards Sasuke, he started tapping his knee with his ring finger "hey Sasuke, can you pass the water? I got something in my eye, I wanna wash them out just to make sure."

Sasuke recognised the tapping for their code of 'we're being watched' and knowing that Naruto and Sakura were the ones that carried water on these missions while he lugged around the cooking utensils and the chakra handcuffs along with the food, Sasuke deduced that Naruto mentioned water for a reason. Realisation hit Sasuke when he realised Naruto was telling him to activate his Sharingan, why else would he start mentioning his eye?

"Sure Naruto, where about did you leave it?" hearing Sasuke call Naruto by his name instead of 'otouto' or 'dobe', Kakashi and Sakura tuned into the conversation and started to assess the threat.

"Umm I think I left my bag Behind the fire? To your left?" Naruto asked while slowly extending his _hidden bone_ in front of him.

Looking behind Naruto's left and noticing the puddle, Sasuke activated his Sharingan and saw through the Genjutsu easily. "yeah Naruto, your right. There's two bottles right next to each other, what do you want?"

Smiling at his team Naruto stood up, "I want the one on the left."

Sakura backed up to Tazuna standing up as a guard while Naruto and Sasuke suddenly charged at the puddle. Naruto flung out his arm sending a barrage on _bone bullets_ at the ninjas in disguise, who dropped the Genjutsu and dodged to the sides while the chain connecting their wrists was destroyed by the projectiles. "shit what now Meizu?" the one on the left asked.

"what do you think Gozu we attack!" the one on the right yelled while diving at Sasuke.

Sasuke smirked and using his _Sharingan _he dodge the lunge easily while unleashing his Kusarigama. At one end a foot long scythe blade appeared from it's seal while on the end at Sasuke's feet, a ball weight appeared.

Spinning the chain expertly, Sasuke threw the scythe at Gozu stabbing him through the shoulder. Screaming in pain Gozu made a lunge at Sakura and Tazuna. But before he could get close, Sasuke pulled back on the chain, wrenching Gozu from the ground and was wrapped up in the chain.

Gozu looked up groggily just in time to see the iron ball flying at his face.

*CRUNCH*

The ball crushed gozu's nose and teeth while knocking him out painfully. Bringing the battle to an end.

When Meizu charged at Naruto, he pulled his arm back aiming for a stab at Naruto's chest believing himself to be faster than a mere gennin. Unfortunately, he was wrong.

Naruto barely slid under the strike with his bone-blade flashing upwards past Meizu. In the one step between Meizu's strike and Naruto's slide, Naruto had slashed at Meizu.

Meizu stopped his charge in shock, and fell to the ground in two pieces, his head completely detached from his body thanks to Naruto's speedy swipe.

Lowering his guard, Kakashi walked over to the two gennin. "I must say you two fought exceptionally. Sasuke, you managed to capture your ninja just like a hunter nin would, and Naruto you finished it in one move like a true assassin. You did amazing, now leave the interrogation to me. Naruto make the corpse disappear."

Picking up the unconscious captive. Kakashi stepped into the woods, Out of sight of the group. Leaving the others with the corpse.

Sasuke looked at Naruto who raised an eyebrow back at him, "yeah yeah I know." Naruto said before holding up a handsign and diving underground, bringing Meizu's body with him.

At this moment Tazuna decided to wake up, "Ugggh I don't feel too-OH MY GOD THAT'S A HEAD!"

Sakura and Sasuke looked over to where Tazuna was pointing and realised that Naruto forgot to drag the head under as well.

Nudging Sakura with his arm, Sasuke asked "do you think these two would've had a price in the bingo book?"

Sakura smiled before taking a bingo book out of her pouch. "here Sasuke-kun, once you said you'd become a hunter and tracking nin, I thought having one of these would help."

Smirking at Sakura's ingenuity, Sasuke took the book from Sakura's hand and starting looking through it.

Sakura turned back to the food, seeing that the vegie soup was done. She grabbed a smaller pot of water and poured some rice in. "Tazuna-san, would you like your soup now? Or would you rather wait til we have the meat and rice done?" After a few moments of silence, Sakura thought he hadn't heard her.

She turned to him to ask again when she realised he was still staring at the head, starting to look a bit green. "umm Sasuke-kun, could you please move the head away from Tazuna-san? He doesn't look too comfortable.."

Looking up from his book, Sasuke nodded at Sakura and let out a "hn." He casually strolled over to the head and picked it up by the hair and walked around the other side of the camp and put it behind one of the branches he cut down earlier.

Naruto popped up next to Sasuke, "taken care of guys, now where's the grub I'm starving!"

Sakura frowned at Naruto, "Naruto-nii, we should at least wait for Kakashi sensei. Besides Tazuna-san doesn't seem to feel like eating yet anyway."

Naruto was about to retort when Kakashi walked into the clearing pulling his headband down over his left eye, "well I got what I need, tell me Tazuna-san. Who is Gato, and why does he want you dead?"

That one simple question made Tazuna nervous, "Umm sorry don't know him, ask later."

Closing the bingo book, Sasuke stood up and grabbed the head, "if he's no one, then why did he send the demon brother's after you? They are high C-rank Chunnin from the hidden mist, known for being ruthless and their use of highly effective poisons."

Tazuna was beginning to sweat now, "umm maybe it's someone I owe some money too? Sure it was an overreaction sending ninja after me but still, I'm sure it's nothing."

Glaring at Tazuna, Naruto grabbed the head from Sasuke, "so you just made me take someone's life over a lost bet?" he shoved the head into Tazuna's face, "you think this is worth a few bucks? Look what You've done!"

Tazuna cringed away from the head, its dead eyes facing Tazuna.

Kakashi grabbed Naruto's shoulder and pulled him back, "Naruto, that's enough. I'm sure Tazuna-san will tell us why he lied, right Tazuna-san?"

"alright fine." Tazuna said looking away in shame.

Smirking at his victory, Naruto sealed the head into one of the capsules on his belt and passed it Sasuke. "Come on then, why were you so stingy? What didn't want to pay for a higher mission? Are you that selfish?"

Something snapped in Tazuna and he glared heatedly at Naruto, "Never! The future of my village is on the line! I would never put in less than my all for this cause!"

Stepping back in shock at Tazuna's outburst, the gennin were at a loss of what to say.

Seeing that Tazuna's situation was direr then he wanted to lead on, Kakashi waved the gennin towards the logs around the fire and sat down next to Tazuna. "Tazuna-san, if you tell us what is wrong then we can better prepare for what we have to face. Please tell me, who is Gato and why does he want you dead?"

Sighing in defeat, Tazuna looked up at the Jonin. "Gato, he is the owner of Gato industries."

Kakashi's eye widened, "THAT Gato? One of the richest men in the world Gato? Why does he want you dead? I thought you were just a bridge builder?"

Tazuna nodded in response, "I am. You see, wave country is completely isolated from other countries because we're surrounded by water. Seeing the opportunity before him, Gato seized power over wave by buying all the shipping docks and hiring thugs to destroy the ones he couldn't buy from people. Gato's a monster, and has been sucking the land dry of crops, wildlife, money and people. He'd sell the crops and wildlife through his industry to make a huge profit while keeping the money for himself and he'd sell the people into slavery in the black market. He's not the great leader of a visionary company, he's a ruthless monster bent on owning the world. Unfortunately, he chose to start with my village."

Sasuke raised a brow, "I still don't see why he'd hire ninja to kill you Tazuna-san, why are you so important?"

Tazuna looked up with a sad smile, "I am the most super bridge builder in the whole of water country. My bridge will connect the land of waves to the mainland, destroying Gato's monopoly of our land." Tazuna stared into the fire with a tortured expression. "With me gone, so is the bridge. So is the last hope of wave."

A silence fell onto the camp for a few moments as team seven absorbed the information told to them.

The silence was interrupted as Kakashi spoke, "well team, looks like we got our work cut out for us and no way we can do this job on an empty stomach. Sakura, is the food almost done? I'm positively famished."

Looking at her sensei she gave a smile, "it's ready now, help me dish it up and we can dig in."

Kakashi nodded and stood to help Sakura while Tazuna looked on in shock, "you-you're still going to help me? Even with the danger I put you in?"

From behind Tazuna, Sasuke patted him on the shoulder. "as if we're gonna leave now, what kind of hunter would I be if I couldn't stand up to such interesting prey?"

Naruto, standing up from his place near the fire said "yeah Tazuna-san, you can't get rid of us that easily. I'm gonna set up our tents, so pass me your stuff."

Sasuke passed their bags to Naruto and walked over to help with the food. While Naruto took a few steps away and threw a sealing capsule to the ground, making the tent appear in a poof of smoke.

Tazuna looked at the ninja's with tears pouring from his eyes, "thank you, thank you so much."

Kakashi turned back to Tazuna, "as if we could anything less Tazuna-san, here's your food now chow down so you can get some rest. We're heading off at dawn. You get that team?"

Tazuna nodded towards Kakashi with a smile on with teary face while the team shouted a "Hai sensei!"

* * *

"Tazuna-san how much longer will we be?" Naruto asked with an impatient expression. As the team flew through the trees.

Holding his hat with one hand, Tazuna faced Naruto from his place on Kakashi's back, "at this speed we could be there in ten minutes! This is super cool!"

Hearing this Kakashi slowed down, "umm Tazuna-san, didn't you say our lift across to the village's island won't be there until two pm?"

Tazuna said back, "Yeah, so what if we're a little early?"

Kakashi replied, "nothing is wrong with that, it's just that I don't feel like wasting energy. Why don't we walk from here? We'll still be there over an hour early."

Sasuke grunted in agreement while Sakura nodded appreciatively, "sounds good to me sensei."

Coming to a halt, Kakashi jumped down to the ground placing Tazuna back on his wobbly feet. "wow that was a rush."

Naruto landed next to him, "at least we get a bit of a rest now."

Looking around the area for any threats, as he'd been doing every five minutes for a minute at a time, Sasuke noticed a chakra signature in the mist ahead of them.

Stepping up next to his sensei, Sasuke whispered "there is a man in this mist, his chakra signature is larger than yours sensei. He can't see us yet as far as I can tell, but he seems to be waiting for us."

Frowning in thought, Kakashi turned to his team. "Alright guys, emergency protection pattern beta three."

"hai sensei" they replied in confidence. Naruto grabbed Tazuna's arm while Kakashi created two shadow clones. Naruto smirked at Tazuna's confused face, "take a deep breath and close your eyes."

* * *

Zabuza looked down from his vantage point among the trees, 'hmmm, a squad of gennin? This shouldn't be too hard, then again the Jonin looks familiar…'

Zabuza let the Konoha team walk right by underneath him and walk about twenty meters ahead before he jumped down from his perch, 'time to get started..' he thought pulling the huge blade off of his back.

"be on guard guys, and follow any order I give you straight away."

"hai sensei" Sasuke and Sakura said to Kakashi while Kakashi's two shadow clones, that had _transformed_ into Naruto and Tazuna look alike's, just continued onwards without reacting.

Kakashi closed his eyes and listened for movement, after a few seconds he heard a quiet grunt and then something flying through the air towards them. "GET DOWN!"

The team dove to the ground barely avoiding the massive blade that flew over their heads, it slammed into a tree where moments before Zabuza appeared standing on the handle of the blade.

Kakashi squinted his eye as he looked at Zabuza, 'shit that's Zabuza Momochi, I may not be able to come out of this one unscathed..'

"hello Zabuza, I'm guessing Gato sent you to delay us?" he said while grasping the left side of his headband.

Seeing the Jonin's movement, Zabuza recognised who he was "Kakashi Hatake, high A-rank shinobi, known as The Copy ninja. This'll be fun." Zabuza said while turning to face the team, still standing on his sword.

Kakashi smirked, though you couldn't see it behind his mask. "actually I think you're in for a bit more than you bargained for."

Just as Kakashi finished his sentence, a four_ bone bullets _was shot straight through Zabuza's right thigh, causing him to fall from his sword and to the ground.

"AH SHIT! Zabuza said looking behind him to see an orange and black clad Naruto sticking halfway out of the ground with his fingers pointing at him, "nice shot Naruto, with less mobility I can take him down much easier." Kakashi said pulling up his headband revealing a full matured Sharingan.

Zabuza scowled from behind his bandages. Turning, he launched a kick at Naruto. Who only got a glancing blow to the top of his head because he sunk back into the ground.

Pissed off at being caught off guard by a gennin, Zabuza turned to look back at the full team. As he watched, Kakashi's shadow clone that was disguised as Naruto disappeared into smoke. 'fuck, I can't believe this turned bad so quickly.'

Kakashi, seeing his opportunity to end the battle quickly dashed at Zabuza as Zabuza begin hand signs while jumping onto his good leg. Seeing with his Sharingan, Kakashi easily saw that Zabuza was planning to summon water clones to aid him so Kakashi prepared a counter.

Zabuza glared at Kakashi, "_water style: water clone jutsu"_ he yelled summoning two clones to intercept Kakashi while he grabbed his sword. Too his shock, the first clone disappeared seconds after it was summoned dues to a _bone bullet _through its head and the second clone didn't last long against Kakashi.

Zabuza tried to lure Kakashi into a trap by jumping onto the nearby lake, "c'mon then leaf scum." He said glaring at Kakashi.

Being over confident in both himself and his students, Kakashi leapt onto the water in front of Zabuza and pulled a kunai. "let's finish this Zabuza."

With that said, Kakashi lunged at Zabuza and Zabuza swing his sword downward to intercept Kakashi's lunge. The sword was blocked by Kakashi, but the force of the swing pushed him under water. "Gotcha!" Zabuza yelled while reaching into the water with his free hand, "_water style: water prison jutsu."_

Kakashi was suddenly unable to move in the water that pressurised around him. 'shit, I'm caught. What should I do?'

Zabuza smirked, before glaring at the gennin and 'Tazuna'. "What are you gonna do now? Your sensei's done and your client is gonna be next. Then I'm coming after you." He said adding killing intent to his glare.

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura shook in fear at the killing intent. But realising that their next actions as a team could save their sensei's life, Naruto forced through the fear and yelled "Those that abandon the mission are trash, but those that abandon their comrades are worse than trash. Right guys?"

Sakura and Sasuke steeled their fear and replied an affirmative. Naruto summoned two giant shuriken and flung them at Zabuza will charging with the other two on his flanks.

Zabuza swung his sword and battered the two blades aside, "is that all you got? _Water clone jutsu_" he summoned a water clone and gave it his blade, "deal with the brats."

The clone ran forward to meet the team's charge when Sakura yelled "pattern delta strike!"

Sasuke and Naruto smirked dove to the side leaving Sakura charging at the clone alone. The clone smirked, "overconfident don't you think little girl?!" he yelled swinging kubikiri bocho at Sakura, only for her to disappear in a burst of speed. "what?!"

Sakura appeared behind Zabuza's clone with her gauntlets activated, she stabbed at his back at the same time he jumped forward, "Nice try!" He said swinging at a now off balance Sakura.

That was when Sakura smirked and was pulled underground as a fireball appeared where she was.

The clone's eyes widened in shock, "what the he-" and it evaporated instantly, dropped the blade as it stabbed into the ground.

Seeing his clone get destroyed so quickly, Zabuza made the three hand signs needed as two more clones appeared on either side of him. "Kill them and bring me my blade!" he ordered and the clones charged towards Sasuke, and the discarded sword respectively.

Sasuke turned, his Sharingan now having two tomoe and glared at the water clone that was charging him, "Bring it." He said and whipped out the blade of his Kusarigama.

The clone dodged the strikes easily and tried making his way to Sasuke to attack him, but using his Sharingan and the kusa, Sasuke kept the clone at a distance without a challenge." I thought you were gonna kill me Zabuza? I'm still breathing!"

The clone got pissed off and recklessly dove under a strike to get in Sasuke's guard. A big mistake it realised as it looked up to attack.

Zabuza watched as Sasuke's Sharingan span rapidly and suddenly, he disappeared.

The clone stood up in shock, "what? Where'd he go?" he managed to get out before his head splashed into water as the weight of Sasuke's weapon slammed into him.

The second clone had just wrapped his hand around kubikiri bocho when a pink blur appeared in his line of sight, on instinct it jumped back as Sakura's claw slammed into where he was a moment before. The clone scowled and swung the sword at Sakura, who dodged by using her flexibility and leaning backwards. "Hold still brat!" it snarled as it swung again.

Sakura didn't have time to dodge, so she raised her gauntlets into a block hoping that they hold out.

*SLAM*

Zabuza's blade impacted and sent Sakura flying, the clone smirked in victory and turned around to give the blade back to the original only to see another giant shuriken inches from his face. 'shit' it thought in the millisecond before it was cut through.

Naruto appeared from the ground and picked up his shuriken and Zabuza'a sword. 'holy shit this thing is heavy' he thought as Sasuke and Sakura appeared next to him. "plan Sasuke?" Sakura asked glancing at him.

Sasuke frowned in concentration thinking through the different tactics they've learned together as a team. "Radical takedown." He said confidently.

Naruto turned to him in shock, "But we've only practised that twice!"

"it's our best shot to save sensei, now let's go!" Sasuke said forming handsigns and disappearing into his _chameleon Genjutsu. _

Sakura nodded at Naruto, "you heard him, let's get started!" Sakura said.

Naruto nodded, unsealing another shuriken. "ROGER!" he yelled as he flung them at the unprotected Zabuza.

Zabuza watched the shuriken fly at him, "you think that'll work?" he said, catching it in front of him with ease.

Zabuza smirked and pulled the shuriken aside, ready to throw it back when he notices pink at the base of his vision. He looks down to see Sakura, who had ran fast enough to stay out of sight _underneath_ the flying shuriken. "SHANNARO!" she yelled and unleashed an uppercut into Zabuza's jaw sending him through the air, forcing him away from the now failing water jutsu. "Hit it Sasuke!" Naruto yelled.

Appearing out of his Genjutsu, Sasuke was leaping over Zabuza unleashing his new jutsu. "_weapon style, flaming arc!" _he yelled swinging the scythe of his weapon on Zabuza's airborne form.

Fire leapt from a seal on Sasuke's chain of his weapon and set it ablaze, as Sasuke swung it, the flames flew of in a red hot arc while maintaining the sharpness of the scythe, aiming to cleave Zabuza in half.

Zabuza didn't see the arc of fire until last moment, due to the blinding pain of Sakura's punch. Opening his eyes as the fire started to burn his chest Zabuza made a split second _substitution _only getting second degree burn and a large gash.

Zabuza fell to solid ground in pain, screaming "AH FUCKING BRATS! I SWEAR I'LL KI-ACK"

He suddenly went limp when two needles flew out of nowhere and pierced his neck.

Kakashi approached Zabuza and checked his pulse. There was none. A hunter-nin landed next to Kakashi and grabbed his arm. "I want to thank your team for weakening him, but this is my kill. I will take it and my leave now." The hunter-nin pushed Kakashi away and put his hand on Zabuza's chest. They disappeared in a _shunshin_.

Kakashi turned to 'Tazuna' as it poofed into smoke, "Good work team, Naruto where did you leave the real Tazuna?"

Naruto took a few steps towards his right and pushed his hand through the ground next to a green coloured straw. A few seconds later, Tazuna was pulled out covered in dirt with the straw sticking out of his mouth. Spitting it out, he asked "is it over?"

Kakashi pulled his headband down over his Sharingan and spoke, "yep," Before collapsing in near-chakra exhaustion. "can we…get some rest… at your house.. Tazuna-san?"

Kakashi blinked once, then fell over unconscious.

* * *

Kakashi regained consciousness to find himself surrounded by his team. "morning guys, wassup?" he slurred.

His team turned to him as he sat up, he looked around to find himself in a house on a couch in the lounge room.

"SENSEI YOUR ALIVE!" Naruto yelled in excitement.

Tazuna sat opposite him on a chair, "Super! Now that you're awake, what happened out there? Other than being a little wet, you seemed perfectly fine. No injuries or anything."

Sakura sighed, "we've already explained, he was extremely low on oxygen and almost had chakra exhaustion. It was perfectly normal that he fell unconscious for a while."

Kakashi nodded, "what she said." He spoke before rolling on his side and waving them off, "wake me up in the morning, we may as well get some training done while Tazuna-san builds his bridge."

Sasuke poked Kakashi's head, "Sensei, I think Zabuza is still alive."

This bought a look of shock to everyone's face, Naruto asked the obvious question, "umm why? That hunter nin took away his CORPSE aniki, he ain't immortal."

Sasuke nodded, "exactly, hunter nins just take the head as evidence and destroy the body, right sensei?" he said looking at Kakashi for confirmation.

Mulling it over for a few seconds, Kakashi sighed and sat up "Sasuke's right, man I should've noticed that straight away. I guess Zabuza is still around, and even worse. He has a partner that is hunter-nin level."

After a moment of silence, a young woman walked into the room, "excuse me everyone, dinner is ready. Thank you once again for all the pork, we won't have to head to the market for a while."

Sakura smiled at her, "it's the least we could do for you Tsunami. You are letting us stay here."

The now named Tsunami nodded with a smile, "please be quick, I don't want you to have to eat cold food." She said while turning back to the kitchen/dining room.

Sitting down at the round table, the team began to dig in while talking animatedly. Tsunami called out "Inari, dinner is ready."

A few moments later, a depressed looking boy walked down the stairs and took a seat between Naruto and Sakura. He looked at all the food in shock, "kaa-san, how did we get so much food?"

Tsunami looked at Inari, "these ninja caught the meat for us, I just cooked it with a couple of herbs. Eat up Inari."

Inari looked up at the smiling ninja, seeing their happiness over such a 'small' accomplishment, (this kid has obviously gone head-to-head with a rabid wild boar before) he scowled and took his plate of food back up to his room, "thanks kaa-san, I'll be going to bed after this. Goodnight grandpa."

The group watched as Inari left, "sorry about him, he's just not very happy with our current situation. Everyone wants Gato gone." Tazuna said quietly.

Taking an obnoxiously loud bite out of the meat provided, Naruto said "it's fine Tazuna-san, the kid will be happy when we're done here so that's all that matters. Pass the sauce Nee-chan?"

Sakura passed the sauce to Naruto, "you really have no finesse at all do you?"

Tazuna outright laughed while tsunami and Kakashi chuckled. Sasuke just let out a smirk "you got that right Sakura-chan. Otouto has the manners of a drunken chicken."

Sakura blinked at Sasuke in shock, 'did he just call me –chan?'

Naruto scowled over the table at Sasuke, "at least my hair doesn't look like a chicken's ass."

Everyone looked at Sasuke's hair for a second as if noticing it for the first time. "BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHHA!" the whole table broke out into intense laughter while Sasuke sat fuming.

"IT DOES NOT LOOK LIKE A-" Kakashi shoved a mirror into Sasuke's hand, "A-a-a… WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME MY HEAD LOOKED LIKE POULTRY!?"

At this everyone burst into laughter again, some giggling could even be heard upstairs.

Naruto yelled, "HAHA Maybe it's some kinda jutsu to summon birds? Fly us in some chicken Aniki! HAHAHAHA!"

Sasuke scowled at everyone, then at their food "here's a jutsu for you, may all your bacon burn" he said before taking an over exaggerated bite into his food angrily.

* * *

Naruto yawned, "sensei what are we doing down here so early?"

Kakashi turned to face the team while sitting on the end of the wharf, "did you three see how Zabuza and I stood on top of the water? That was an extension to the tree climbing technique. We're here so that you guys can learn that, then hopefully if you finish it within the next few days, I can start you on something a little more… advanced." Kakashi said with an eye-smile.

Naruto thought to Kyuubi, 'hey fox, can you ask Mizuki if he knew how to do this?' '**sure Kit,**' after a few seconds of silence, he continued. **'Mizuki says it's the same as tree walking, except instead of holding the chakra, you have to push it out evenly from your whole foot. Sounds lame, why don't you just blow up the river?'**

Naruto sighed to himself, 'cause you're an oversized, violent carpet.' Naruto cut the connection before Kyuubi could respond. Though Naruto could still 'feel' the growl being directed at him.

Kakashi's voice snapped Naruto out of his concentration. "do you have another random piece of information on chakra control Naruto? Or was it a onetime fluke?"

Kakashi thought, 'hehe I'm so funny, or is that the lack of chakra to my brain talking?'

Naruto smirked and said, "water walking is the same as tree walking, except instead of holding the chakra, you have to push it out evenly from your whole foot to maintain balance. That about right sensei?"

The other two gennin looked at Naruto before glancing at their stunned sensei, "umm yes actually, exactly that. Well you heard him, get on with it." Kakashi said while starring at Naruto.

Naruto walked towards the river and applied the chakra, when he thought he had it he stepped onto the water. Once he got to the centre of the river, he turned and smiled, "hey guys! This ain't hard at all!" that was the moment when Naruto lost concentration and fell in.

"HOLY LOG THAT'S COLD!" he screamed as he shot out of the water and landed on the shoreline again. Naruto pulled off his wet clothes standing only in his boxers. "I'll get it this time for sure!"

Sakura smacked Naruto over the back of his head, "nii-baka! Put your clothes back on!"

Hearing clothing being removed behind her, Sakura turned around and saw Sasuke taking off his shirt. "S-Sasuke-kun? Wha-what are you doing?"

Sasuke, standing only in his shorts now after taking off his equipment and his shirt said, "otouto does have a point. If we keep screwing up our clothes'll get soaked. I don't wanna deal with the extra weight."

Kakashi patted Sakura on the shoulder, "if you want to strip as well, I'm sure the boys won't mind. But I'm going back to the house before Tazuna wakes up." He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "if the reason you choose not to is insecurity, you should know that neither of the boys would judge you for anything you think you may or may not have. I mean, your still young so….yeah."

Sakura blushed at the implications of what Kakashi said, even though she couldn't completely deny what he was implying. "Sh-shut up sensei." Sakura stepped to the water's edge where Naruto was standing wobbly while Sasuke was placing one foot on the surface trying to balance the right amount of flowing chakra.

Smiling at Sakura's bravery, Kakashi turned and began to walk back to the house since his chakra system wasn't healed enough for him to 'poof' there.

Sakura unzipped the back of her dress and pulled it over her head, 'it'll be fine, they're my teammates. They won't care.'

Sakura focussed the necessary chakra to her feet and tried walking onto the water. In only two steps Sakura found the perfect amount of chakra and focussed on maintaining that level. 'perfect, now let's show these boys how it's done!'

Sakura jumped off the water and stepped off Naruto's shoulders to land in the centre of the lake. "heh, this isn't hard at all!" she said turning back to her team, the water splashing around her.

Naruto looked up at the underwear-clad Sakura, not even phased at the lack of clothing, and said, "how do you keep getting these things down straight away nee-chan?"

Sakura put on a 'lecture' voice, "Elementary dear nii-baka, I am just smarter than you." She finished with a grin.

Hearing a splash, they turned to look at Sasuke who was unconscious face-down in the water. "Aniki! What's wrong?!" Naruto said as he pulled Sasuke above water.

Sakura came over to check on him when she saw he had fainted from a nose-bleed, 'does Sasuke find me attractive?' Sakura thought with a blush.

Noticing the blood himself, Naruto slapped Sasuke back to consciousness, "ANIKI! Stop being a pervert!"

That brought Sasuke back fully, "I'm an Uchiha! I'm not a pervert!" he said blushing.

Blushing herself, Sakura leaned forward in a 'teasing' pose, "Aww like what you see Sasuke-kun?" she said as a joke.

Without thinking, Sasuke replied "yeah."

Naruto wacked Sasuke over the head, "PERVERT!"

Rubbing his head, Sasuke scowled at Naruto "Shut up baka!"

Sakura was about to break up the fight when she noticed something on Naruto's stomach. "hey Naruto-nii, what's that on your stomach?"

Naruto, who was still focussing chakra for the water-walking technique looked down to see the fox's seal showing in black ink. Naruto panicked and cut the chakra off, falling into the knee-deep water near the bank. "it's nothing, don't ask about it!" he said in fear sitting against one of the posts of the wharf.

Sasuke immediately calmed down, worried about Naruto's outburst. "otouto, was that a seal? What's it doing on your stomach?"

Naruto didn't look up to his teammates, 'kyuubi, what do I do? If they find out about you they'll hate me. I can't go back to being alone again! It hurts too much, i-i…what do I do?'

The Kyuubi let out a huge sigh,** "look Kit, I think they will see the difference between us. And don't take this the wrong way, I'm still a fucking tough demon, but if they can't see the good in you then they're not really worth it. Even if you do lose them….i can't believe I'm saying this, you still have us inside you. We won't leave you. And I don't think they will either."**

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Naruto looked up and saw Sasuke and Sakura looking at him in concern. Sasuke gasped at the pained look on his face and the tears in his eyes.

Being the smart person she is, Sakura asked, "has it got something to do with why the villages hate you?"

Catching onto to Sakura's train of thought Sasuke wrapped Naruto in brotherly hug, "No matter what it is, we won't hate you. Even if the seal is holding something we would hate, you are not the seal. Otouto, tell me what's wrong."

Sakura stood in silence listening to the raw emotion in Sasuke's voice and watching the trembling form of Naruto. "Naruto-nii?"

Naruto's tears slowed as he glanced between his teammates and the river, 'I think your right Kyuubi, they'll accept me. I'm gonna tell them' **'goodluck Kit'**

Naruto stood up out of the river and channelled some chakra so that the seal appeared, "you guys know my birthday right? Recognise anything weird that happened on the same day?"

Sasuke raised a brow at Naruto in confusion while Sakura thought on Naruto's meaning 'hmm I'm pretty sure it's on October tenth, the Kyuubi festival is held then so maybe Naruto pulled a prank at one of those and now wears a seal as punishment. I mean, he was only a baby at the time, so he couldn't have had anything to do with the actual Kyuubi attack….right?'

Sakura turned to the nervous Naruto, "the Kyuubi festival has been on every year since your-"

Naruto shook his head furiously and interrupted "no I mean on my actual day of birth." Sakura then asked "the Kyuubi attack? What does that have to do with you?"

Sasuke stared into Naruto's eyes and remembered all he could about the story of the Kyuubi attack, "the fourth Hokage defeated the Kyuubi by sealing the Kyuubi away. We were told it was into a fish that's now kept in the pond at the Hokage tower. We were lied to weren't we Naruto?"

Naruto nodded, "there's no way in hell a fish would be able to contain the power of a bijuu. You see only a human's chakra system would be able to handle the strain of any demonic chakra. But the Kyuubi isn't just any bijuu, it's the strongest of the nine, so an adult's body wouldn't have the time to adjust to accommodate all the extra chakra. So…..the Fourth sealed it into...a baby." Naruto said hoping they would get it without him having to say the words.

Sakura and Sasuke's eyes widened, "Naruto? Were you that child?" Sakura asked, halfway between fear and anger.

Seeing Sakura's reaction, Naruto assumed she hated him now that she found out his secret. "…yes." He whispered so quiet they barely heard it.

The river was quiet after Naruto's affirmation, as if the world itself was waiting for the team's reaction.

Naruto heard the splashing movement of someone moving close, he braced himself to be hit and rejected. Instead he felt arms wrap around him and another arm be put across his shoulders in a comforting gesture.

Naruto opened his eyes to see a crying Sakura hugging his chest and a determined looking Sasuke patting his shoulder comfortingly. "…guys?" he asked in awe.

Sakura sniffled, holding back a few tears "I can't believe it, both of you have had to deal with so much in your lives and my only worry has been about my looks." She let out a small sob as Naruto hugged her back.

"otouto." Naruto looked at Sasuke's determined face. "the villagers, they only see you as the fox don't they?"

Naruto nodded biting his lower lip, "yeah," he burst into tears holding his family tightly.

Sasuke stood up, pulling Naruto with him. "we'll show them Naruto, you're a hero. When our dreams are achieved, you will be who we thank. We'll show them you're not some demon." Turning to Naruto who was looking up at him hopefully, "they will see the truth Naruto! Get up! We need to get stronger and this is the first step!"

Sakura stood up next to Sasuke nodding, "C'mon Nii-san!" she said with a smile.

They reached their hands down towards him while he stared at them in awe. Naruto wiped his tears away and took their outstretched hands.

With them standing together in the shallow water, the group hugged for a few moments.

After a few minutes, Naruto felt a little awkward so mumble the first thing that came to mind to defuse the seriousness of the situation. "so aniki, does your perverseness for Sakura-Neechan mean you two are finally gonna be together?"

Sasuke tensed for a moment before stepping away from the hug, his eyebrow twitching in irritation "Otouto, shut up or I'll burn you."

Naruto giggled nervously, "hehe seriously?" a fireball hit his clothes shirt that was thrown on the shoreline. "OKAY! I'm sorry aniki!"

Sakura put a hand on the angered Sasuke and the slightly scared Naruto. "guys, we really should get back to training."

At the mention of training, Naruto jumped on top of the water in excitement. "YEAH! IF WE FINISH THIS THEN SENSEI'S GONNA TEACH US SOMETHING AWESOME!" Naruto yelled pointing at the sky for some reason.

Sakura stepped onto the water next to him, "Naruto, you do realise you're standing on the water right now don't you?"

Naruto looked down at his feet and realised him and Sakura were standing ON the water, not in it. "YATTA!" he yelled in excitement.

Sakura giggled at his antics and looked over to Sasuke, who was standing on the water, but kept wobbling on his unsteady feet. "Sasuke-kun, do you need some help?"

Sasuke looked up at her and Naruto with a bit of embarrassment, "that would be appreciated Sakura-chan, for a 'prodigy' I sure seem to have abysmal chakra control." He said focussing on his chakra output.

Sakura stood next to Sasuke and held his hand to steady him, "Better?" she asked with a blush.

Sasuke nodded, "yeah, I just can't seem to be able to spread the chakra properly."

Sakura frowned in thought, 'how can we help him with this…. I got it!' "hey Sasuke-kun, just use your Sharingan to see how we do it and copy the flow!"

Sasuke shook his head, "No, I swore I wouldn't steal techniques from my comrades." He said trying to find the right flow of chakra.

Sakura yelled to Naruto, "Hey Naruto, do you mind helping Sasuke-kun perfect the water walk?"

Naruto jumped over, landing with a splash, "Of course not, what do you need me to do Nee-chan?"

Sakura answered, "Do you mind if he watches your chakra with his Sharingan so he can copy the regulation?"

Naruto smiled at them both, "not at all! Go ahead aniki!"

Sasuke smiled back at Naruto, 'well I guess if they say it's alright.' "Okay, go for a run Otouto." Sasuke focused the necessary chakra to his eyes, "Sharingan!"

Chapter end.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight: Wave Mission Part two

"Up ya get."

"zzzzzzz….zzzzzzzz…"

"one more chance Naruto.'

"…..zzzzz…..zzzzzzzz.."

"Times up." Kakashi said while grabbing the side of Naruto's bedroll and throwing him from its warmth.

"AAAAHH-"

*SMACK*

Naruto pulled his face from the wall to see Kakashi standing next to where his bed roll was. "Sensei what was that for?" Naruto asked while rubbing his sore face.

Kakashi eye-smiled, "You didn't hear me the first time, so I woke you up." He said walking from the room.

Pausing at the door, Kakashi turned to Naruto "Sasuke said that the three of you have something to show me, I'm guessing one of you has finished the water walk? That's outstanding for a fresh gennin to grasp the concept let alone do it...it was probably Sakura." He mumbled before leaving.

Smirking, Naruto pulled on his clothes and jumped out the window. Landing right in front of Kakashi who didn't even flinch and Tazuna who screamed in shock, "don't scare the client Naruto." Kakashi scolded as he walked towards the river the gennin had trained at the day before.

Naruto, who was still smirking, ran past his sensei to meet up with the others before Kakashi got there.

Kakashi closed his eye and chuckled at Naruto's enthusiasm, 'maybe they all made some progress? Although that is unlikely, I took me two days just to be able to walk on a still lake. I doubt they could balance properly on a flowing river.' He thought as Tazuna and himself stepped around a boat shed to the wharf that blocked part of the river from sight.

"Whoa, that must be harder than walking right Kakashi-san? They make it look super easy.." Tazuna said grabbing Kakashi's attention.

Kakashi looked up expectantly and switched to being bug-eyed instantly.

Sasuke lay casually on top of the water, perfectly dry and chewing on a blade of grass while watching the clouds. Sakura lay on her stomach, looking down at the fish swimming below them. And Naruto, who only just reached his friends, sat down between them "guys, Kakashi-sensei is here, he wanted to know what we had to show him."

Sasuke glanced over at Kakashi and waved, "What's next?" he asked while Sakura and Naruto grinned at him.

Kakashi stood in silence for a moment, staring at his team. 'What the hell? I could understand Sakura understanding the walking part already, but the other two? How? And how are they doing it so naturally?'

Finally snapping out of his daze, Kakashi asked "How?"

Sakura tilted her head as if acting innocent, "It's not that hard sensei, we had the walking part down in a few minutes. We spent the rest of the day talking and sparring on the water to increase our control. Not hard at all." She said with a prideful grin.

Naruto cheered, "We're just that good sensei, now what's this new special training you picked out for us?"

Kakashi just stood there quietly for a while, "umm I think we broke him.." Naruto said after a full minute of silence.

Tazuna stepped up, "sorry guys but I was hoping someone came with me while I worked on my super bridge? You know, the whole reason I hired you?"

Hearing that snapped Kakashi out of his daze, "Right, I'll come with you Tazuna. These three are gonna train on something a little special, usually senior Chunnin or beginning Jonin start this training but I think you guys can handle it." He said creating a shadow clone and passing it a small pile of papers from his pouch.

"This handsome fellow will take care of explanations" Kakashi said gesturing to his clone, which replied. "Why thank you, you're not hard on the eyes either."

Kakashi nodded to the team and turned to Tazuna, "let's get going, the faster you finish the bridge the faster we can go home."

Tazuna nodded and walked off with Kakashi behind him, leaving the clone to its devices.

It turned to the team and asked, "What do you guys know about chakra elements?"

Sakura was about to answer when the clone interrupted, "wrong, all of you." Sakura scowled at the clone, "if you were gonna say that then why did you ask?" she queried.

The clone eye-smiled, "I like the sound of my voice. Now, a chakra element is which element of the world a person's chakra is naturally more suited to use. It is easy to learn more than one element's jutsu, but you won't be able to master that other element unless you develop a secondary affinity for it. Got me so far?" the clone asked.

The team nodded and Sasuke said, "So it's likely that if my affinity isn't fire, I have may have a secondary for it already? Just like Naruto and his earth jutsu?"

Clone nodded, "exactly right." The clone held out the slips of paper to the gennin, "this paper can determine what type you guys are, let me show you." Clone sent a small amount of its chakra into the paper, it immediately crumbled and a corner burned away while another turned to dust. "This means my main affinity is lightening, and I have a small secondary affinity for fire and earth. This is natural for Jonin to have at least two, sometimes three and extremely rare, four. Your turn Sasuke,"

Sasuke channelled a small amount of chakra into the paper, half crumbled, while the other half burst into flames. "So I got the same as you sensei?" Sasuke asked.

The clone shook it's head, "it seems that lightening was your natural affinity, but you've increased your fire affinity to match that of the lightening. It's not unheard of, but it is rare for someone your age." It turned to Sakura. "Your go, Sakura."

Sakura nodded and channelled chakra into her paper, it burst into flames but the very edge turned to dust before they set alight "fire, right sensei?"

Clone eye-smiled, "yep, you have a fire affinity; this is the most common in the land of fire, it also appears you naturally have an earth secondary, that's quite rare. Naruto, you're up next."

Naruto nodded and sent his chakra into the paper, it was a shocking outcome.

The paper split in half and one side turned to dust and the other got wet. "Umm sensei?" Naruto asked.

Clone stared in shock, "that can't be right, this implies you have wind as a main affinity. Which is extremely rare itself, and a secondary for both water AND earth they all seem to be pretty even as well. I could understand where the earth came from given you efficiency with the _head-hunter_, but water?"

It gave Naruto another piece of paper, "try again." Naruto channelled chakra again, only to receive the same result. "Well I guess it's true. You're still the most unpredictable ninja, the two of the least common chakra type in fire country and a powerful earth. I wonder how…"

Naruto appeared a little anxious, that's when the Kyuubi shared it's opinion. **'Maybe the earth is from Mizuki, and the water is from Naomi? She does originate from water country.'**

Naruto thought back, 'that must be it. Wow I get there affinities as well? Sweet!'

He was brought out of his thoughts when Sakura said, "I wonder if the Kyuubi has a different elemental affinity entirely, or if it's the cause for the other affinities?"

Clone turned to Sakura in shock, "Why would you ask about the Kyuubi Sakura? It's long gone."

Naruto spoke quietly, "I kinda told them yesterday sensei, I'm not in any trouble am I?"

Clone stared at Naruto shocked, before glancing at the unsurprised looks of the other two. "No Naruto, you'll be fine. Me on the other hand, well I'm sure the Hokage will scold me for letting you just blab an S-class secret to anyone"

"They're not just anyone sensei, they're my team!"

Sakura interrupted them at this point, "Can we test if the Kyuubi gave Naruto more affinities?" she asked.

Naruto turned to Sakura, "I've never channelled it's chakra before, I'm not sure I could do it…"

Sasuke put his hand on Naruto's shoulder, "didn't you say you could talk to it? If you ask permission I'm sure it won't mind."

Before Naruto could reply, the Kyuubi spoke to him through their link "**sure Kit, I'll give you a tiny amount. I'll pull it back once some has gone into the paper." **And so it began.

His whisker marks became much more pronounced on his face, and his teeth poked out from his mouth. The last change was his pupils becoming slit, but staying blue.

The clone, seeing the changes, gave Naruto a piece of paper. Naruto quickly pushed some chakra into the paper. What happened was….well weird.

Everyone watched as the paper disintegrated, and in its place a visible piece of red chakra remained in the shape of the paper.

Clone hummed getting the team's attention, "seems the fox doesn't have a specific affinity. But it does seem to have control over pure chakra manipulation. That would come in handy with non-element attacks. It explains why you grasped chakra control exercise quickly after understanding what you needed to do.."

Naruto looked on in shock as the chakra dissipated. "Cool!" he summed up simply.

The clone eye-smiled at the team which was looking at him curiously. "I'll show you each the first step in training needed to awaken your affinity to its maximum from our village. Everyone, grab a leaf."

"this is haaaaaarrrd!" Naruto complained dropping the leaf he was trying to cut in half with only his chakra.

Sakura wiped the sweat from her head, "I know Naru-nii, you've said that every two minutes for the last hour." She said as her leaf dried out, "YES FINALLY SOMETHING!" she yelled in triumph.

Naruto looked over to Sasuke who was trying to electrocute his leaf with only his chakra. "You got anything Aniki?" "Hn." "That's what I thought.."

Sakura looked between the boys and sighed, "this is gonna take longer than the water walking."

It had been a week since team seven arrived at Tazuna's house and the gennin had spent every day trying to make progress with the elemental training.

Sasuke made an amazing breakthrough on the second day of elemental training, the fourth day spent at Tazuna's. He managed to electrocute the leaf out of existence when he 'rubbed' the chakra together and used the friction for the first spark of electricity. He fed it more and suddenly, the leaf was nothing but a black patch on the grass.

Kakashi then gave Sasuke the second exercise, to char a branch by launching a lightening 'arrow' from his fingers from five feet away. He's having some difficulty making the electricity last after leaving his hand.

Sakura swapped to earth chakra training since she found fire much too difficult, she managed to grind the leaf into dust with only her chakra on the third day of training. Having seen this, Kakashi set her on the second task. Sakura had to channel her chakra through the ground and crush a stone five metres away. She was now able to grind it down to half it's size, but couldn't seem to 'crush' it.

Naruto had barely managed a cut in the leaf by this time, and he only just managed to cut the leaf all the way through half-of-the-time by the time the week was over.

Kakashi woke up with a jolt, every night he had sent a shadow clone to spy on the bridge until he got there. It was just dispelled by Kubikiri Bocho.

"Shit!" he yelled as he jumped out of his bed roll. He quickly yelled, "TEAM! EMERGENCY PROTOCOL TWO!"

The team, who were asleep throughout the house all heard his yell and jumped awake. Sakura ran to Tsunami's room to check on her while Naruto ran to Inari's, Sasuke activated his Sharingan and scanned around the house for any chakra signals while Kakashi ran to check on Tazuna.

Kakashi opened the bedroom door only to find it empty, "DOUBLE SHIT!"

Naruto and Sakura ran towards Kakashi's position. "Inari and tsunami are safe, still in their rooms."

"SENSEI! Tazuna is outside! Walking towards the bridge, but there are two samurai coming up behind him!" Sasuke yelled from downstairs.

Kakashi's eye widened and jumped through a second story window in Tazuna's direction. Seeing the two samurai about to kill Tazuna, Kakashi sent chakra to his feet and pushed the full distance in less than a second.

Being unable to effectively take out both samurai at this speed, Kakashi focused on Tazuna. He leapt between the two samurai just as one swung for Tazuna. 'this is gonna hurt,' he thought as he pushed Tazuna forward, earning a large but shallow slash across his back. "Gah!" he shouted in pain.

The samurai looked shocked at the appearance of Kakashi, but quickly took action and tried to kill him. "Quick! Kill the ninja and grab the bridge builder!" one samurai said.

The other samurai was about to answer when Sasuke's blade plunged through his neck, killing him instantly.

Hearing the now dead samurai fall to the ground, the first samurai turned around. Only to come face to face with a set of claws that plunged into his neck and ripped out his jugular.

Kakashi got up nursing his wound, "This isn't good. Sakura, take Tazuna back to his house and hide the family in the shelter. It will hold up against any half-rate samurai or thug. Go now! And hurry back to the bridge, we may need the back up. Naruto, Sasuke, with me!" Kakashi ordered before turning and running towards the bridge at a quick pace.

Sakura pulled Tazuna to his feet, "Let's hurry Tazuna-san!" she said pulling him back to his house.

Tazuna blinked in shock at what just happened, "Ugh alright…I think I'm gonna blow super chunks…" they disappeared into the distance as the boys sprinted towards the bridge.

Arriving at the bridge, Kakashi saw exactly what he was hoping to avoid. All the workers were either unconscious or dead, and an overly thick mist covered the bridge.

"Triple shit, Zabuza's back," Just as he said this, the three of them had to jump to the side as ice shuriken flew through the area they were inhabiting moments before, "and he brought back-up."

Zabuza and the fake hunter-nin stepped out of the mist, "Hello Kakashi, brats. Bout time you showed up." Zabuza said with a sneer.

Kakashi took a fighting stance, "Naruto, Sasuke. I have to trust you two can take down Zabuza's sidekick. Can you do it?"

Naruto nodded with a grin while Sasuke just grunted an affirmative.

"They're all yours Haku," Zabuza said with a grin. The now dubbed Haku ran off to the right side of the bridge, the boys follow after him.

"Now Kakashi, let's get started!" Zabuza yelled while drawing his blade, and disappearing in to the mist.

"Tch, no choice then." Mumbled Kakashi as he got into a defensive position, the mist shrouding around him.

"Please surrender, it does not please me to kill." Haku said from behind his mask.

Sasuke smirked and activated his Sharingan, "just try it, no way are we giving up." He said settling into an offensive Taijutsu stance.

Haku sighed and closed his eyes, "I guess I have no say in the matter. It's what Zabuza-sama wants so I will do it."

Hearing movement, Haku opened his eyes and jumped back to dodge Sasuke's punch. He looked over to where Naruto was only to see him gone. 'basic tactic, now the other will attack from behind me'

Haku turned expecting to see Naruto mid-attack, he wasn't there.

"Got you!" Haku turned back to see the ball of Sasuke's weapon flying at his mid-section.

Haku moved to jump out of the way when he felt hands grasp his ankle, looking down he saw Naruto sticking halfway out of the ground with a smirk on his face.

*SLAM*

The ball crunched into Haku's stomach, knocking the wind out of him and launching him from Naruto's grasp.

Naruto popped up next to Sasuke, "this isn't as hard as we thought it would be aye Aniki?"

Sasuke pulled his weapon back to him and started twirling the blade over his head, "I think we're only just getting started,"

As Sasuke said this, Haku rose back up onto his feet holding his ribcage. 'if I didn't reinforce my body with chakra, that blow would've done more than break two of my ribs. No more games.'

Haku began running through hand signs. Seeing this, Naruto ran forward while shooting _bone bullets_ at him, trying to stop the jutsu.

Haku stopped his hand signs and jumped up over the attack, he spun in mid-air and threw a hand full of senbon at Naruto's head.

Naruto looked up to see the weapons about to impale him. At that moment, Sasuke's blade flew over Naruto's head knocking away all the senbon.

Haku looked at Sasuke in irritation as he landed between Naruto and Sasuke. "You two are very talented. Unfortunately, I have to end this now."

Haku made six hand signs before the boys could stop him, "HIDDEN JUTSU: DEMONIC ICE MIRRORS!" he exclaimed, trapping them in a prison made of ice mirrors.

Naruto and Sasuke moved back to back, "What now aniki?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke analysed the situation, "If he's just gonna start chucking senbon at us, we're in luck."

Naruto raised a brow, "How is that lucky in anyway?"

Sasuke twitched in irritation, "Just activate you bone armour. With my Sharingan I should be able to dodge his attacks."

Haku stepped into one mirror and appeared in all of them, Sasuke twitched again as Naruto asked, "Still reckon you can dodge?"

Haku started showering the boys with senbon, Naruto just stood still letting the senbon pierce his clothing and skin before bouncing harmlessly from the bone underneath.

Sasuke, using his Sharingan was able to keep track of Haku's movements and was dodging almost all of his strikes.

Haku stopped his first wave of attack in shock, 'how are these gennin able to withstand my attacks? It's impossible!'

Naruto smirked, "hey Sasuke, I got a way to break out of this jutsu!"

Sasuke looked at Naruto, with only three sendon sticking out of his body, "Stop talking and start doing then!"

Naruto flew through hand signs. Seeing this, Haku threw senbon hoping to stop the jutsu before it could begin. They just bounced off of the armour again. 'Shit!' Haku thought in frustration.

Naruto finished his hand signs and spat a glob of mud under his and Sasuke's feet, "EARTH STYLE: MUD WALL!"

An absolutely huge wall rose out of the ground, lifting Naruto and Sasuke towards the mirror at the top of the dome at impossible speeds. Sasuke passed the weight of his weapon to Naruto and they both jumped off opposite ends of the rising wall, the chain was grasped by the wall and pulled the two up alongside it as it broke through the ice jutsu.

*SHATTER*

The mirror shattered under the tremendous force and the wall kept growing, carrying Naruto and Sasuke out of the death trap. They flipped back to their starting position between Haku, and Kakashi and Zabuza's battle. Haku's jutsu collapsed and he appeared stumbling out of it holding his ribs and breathing heavily.

Using his Sharingan, Sasuke could see the amount of chakra in Haku's body was nearing it's minimum. "Only a little longer till we outlast him otouto."

Naruto saw a flash of pink in the mist behind Haku's form. He smirked at Sasuke, "I don't think we need to try and outlast him."

Haku looked behind the boys and saw something that scared him, Zabuza was trapped in place by a pack of dogs and Kakashi taunting Zabuza. 'NO! I can't let Zabuza be killed!'

Haku was about to charge passed the over confident looking boys when he felt something sharp carve through his back, ripping out his spine.

With his last bit of strength, Haku turned in shock to see Sakura swinging her sharp claws towards his head. "Zabuza!" He wheezed with his last breath.

"Do you give in Zabuza?" Kakashi said

"Not by a long shot," Zabuza said as a water clone appeared from the mist and kicked the dogs away.

"Dammit," Kakashi said as he charged to confront Zabuza in combat again.

The water clone charged Kakashi in a kamikaze attack, as Zabuza disappeared into the mist again. It collapsed into water as a blade connected to a chain busted through it's chest.

"You alright sensei?" Sakura asked as she and Sasuke landed beside him.

Kakashi nodded, "Good work you two, where's Naruto?"

Sasuke smirked and pointed down, "where do you think?

A yell of pain was heard from the mist as it started to lift, Zabuza stumbled into sight with his right arm now a bloody stump, ending above the elbow.

Naruto appeared out of the ground, holding one of his shuriken, one of it's blades covered in blood.

The team was about to move in for the kill when clapping was heard, the mist finished lifting and suddenly a full battalion of thugs were visible.

Gato stepped out of the crowd and looked at the ninja, 'hmmm, he may be lacking in limbs at the moment but he is still an A-rank ninja. Better play it safe' "Zabuza, I've got your back-up. GET THEM BOYS!" he yelled causing the thugs to charge forward at the ninja.

Kakashi stood in front of his squad, "Naruto, can you finish off Zabuza? His main sword arm is gone thanks to you, and because of me he has no chakra. So personally, I think you could. Do you think you can?"

Naruto nodded with a confident smirk, 'sweet, if I defeat him I can absorb him. That sword would be a great addition to my skills.' "Sure thing sensei, can I keep the sword?"

Kakashi eye-smiled at him, "As long as you take care of him, do what you want, Sasuke lead us off. Sakura, with me." He spoke.

Making hand signs Sasuke spat a fireball at the oncoming thugs, burning about half of them to death in the one attack. "Let's go!" Sakura yelled as the three ran at the remaining thugs.

Naruto turned to Zabuza as the mist ninja was just climbing to his feet, holding his sword in his left arm. "I'm gonna kill you brat!" he yelled, charging in a blind fury.

Naruto waited til the last moment and sunk underground, dodging the attack. Zabuza's sword got stuck in the ground.

Naruto popped up behind Zabuza and stabbed his shuriken in to Zabuza's left shoulder. "AARRRRRHH" he screamed in rage, turning to kick Naruto in the head, Naruto barely ducked in time to dodge while weaving a few hand signs.

Naruto leapt at Zabuza and grasped his head, "_Soul Drain!" _he said calmly staring into the stunned Zabuza's eyes.

Zabuza screamed in pain as his body was sucked into Naruto through his palm.

….

….

….Naruto rose to his feet, suppressing the second part of the jutsu. 'I did it, I have an A-rank Shinobi at my disposal.'

Naruto looked over to the other battle to see Sakura slashing through the last thug and Kakashi stabbing Gato in the neck. 'guess that's it.'

Naruto kicked Zabuza's clothing over the edge of the bridge and stumbled over to Zabuza's sword and picked it up with some difficulty, it being much heavier and larger than he was.

Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi walked over to Naruto and picked him up. "You get him?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto smirked, "yep, one _bone bullet _through the skull and he fell off the bridge. He's not coming back this time." He said as Sasuke picked up Zabuza's discarded headband.

Sakura smiled, "so, mission success?" she asked Kakashi.

He turned and smiled back, "Yep, once the bridge is done we can go home."

The team grinned widely and headed back to Tazuna's house to dress their wounds after the long harsh battle.

The team sat around the dinner table with Tazuna and his family. Even though Sasuke and Kakashi had bandages on, the whole table seemed to be a buzz of life.

"Then, I grabbed the sword as my own! I think I deserve this prize, after all he was a Jonin!" Naruto said finishing his retelling of the fight from his point of view.

Inari looked on in awe at the ninja, "Did you guys really do all that? Is Gato really gone?" he asked with hope in his voice for the first time the ninja had heard.

Kakashi turned to the boy, "Got rid of him myself kid."

Inari's eyes suddenly teared up and his face broke out into a huge smile. "We're free! Grandpa! Mom! It's over!" he yelled in excitement, laughing.

Tsunami smiled and hugged her cheering son. Tazuna soon joined in the family hug. It was a beautiful moment…

"Can we eat now?" Naruto asked completely shattering the mood.

Tsunami stood up in shock, "Oh yes of course, feel free to dig in!"

Taking the invitation, team seven ate a more than modest amount of food.

Inari stepped away from his grandpa's arms and over to the table, "Thank you all so much! You guys really saved the whole village."

Sasuke smirked and said, "it's nothing, we were just doing our job."

Tazuna walked up and put his hands on Sasuke's shoulders, "it doesn't matter! You guys stepped beyond what I had asked you to do, thank you for everything." He said with a deep bow towards the ninja.

Kakashi laughed and placed a comforting hand on Tazuna shoulder, "We thank you for letting us stay with you, and we accept your thanks as well. Please, let's sit down and finish dinner?" he asked politely.

Tazuna sat next to him, "Sounds super! Tsunami, pass the meat!"

Everyone laughed loudly at Tazuna's exuberance, the happy celebrations lasted late into the night..

"You really have to go so soon?" A teary Inari asked the gennin of team 7, along with a group of kids from the town.

Sakura smiled and bent down to Inari's height, "Sorry Inari-kun, but as ninja we have to return to our village."

Sasuke nodded and patted a nearby child on the head, "Next time we get a mission in the land of water we'll visit again ok? Now stop crying, it's your turn to protect the village." This made a lot of the boys in the group stand up tall grinning at the group.

A little girl pulled on the leg of Naruto's pants as he looked over the edge of the bridge, his new sword sitting across his back. "Naruto-kun, I'll miss you." She said sadly.

Naruto turned to the girl and picked her up, "Don't be sad! You'll see us again, I promise!" he said while spinning her in the air.

The girl was giggling as she spun around, Naruto put her down and she smiled up at him. "Thanks Naruto-kun, we'll see you later! Remember you promised!"

Naruto grabbed Sasuke's arm and Sakura's hand. "I won't forget, C'mon guys we need to go, Kakashi already left." He said gesturing to the disappearing form of Kakashi.

The three turned and starting running together to meet up with their sensei while waving to the people of wave. "What should we name the bridge father?" Tsunami asked standing next to Tazuna behind the group.

Tazuna smiled and said, "The Great bridge of hope, and we'll mark team seven's names into the tower Naruto made for us." he said gesturing to a large wall sticking up halfway across the bridge.

The children broke out into cheers, and the people of wave walked back to their village with smiles on their faces.

The team caught up to Kakashi, "Sensei! Let's get moving!" Naruto yelled

Kakashi looked to his left to see his team jumping into the trees and speeding past him.

Kakashi eye-smiled, 'a race is it?' he thought before sending chakra to his feet and pushed off to catch up to his team. 'I hope they don't think they can out-run me…they'll be in for a disappointing surprise.' He thought as he sped passed his team.

"c'mon guys, keep up." He said while looking over his shoulder.

The gennin smiled and sent chakra to their feet as well, pushing to meet with their sensei and towards their home.

Chapter end


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine: Return home, Serious training, New techniques and Interesting meetings.

"Mission complete Hokage-sama, although there were some…complications." Saluted Kakashi upon their entrance to the Hokage's office.

Sarutobi raised his head and looked at the team, he was happy to see their smiling faces. But the small amount of bandages did cause a little concern for him.

Sarutobi looked to Kakashi, who was eye-smiling at him. "What were these complications Kakashi-kun?" he said tiredly.

Kakashi scratched the back of his head, "Oh….nothing much, just a fight with A-rank missing nin Zabuza Momochi and a high Chunnin level ice wielder by the name of Haku. Not to mention the demon brothers.." he said trailing off.

Sarutobi stared at Kakashi in shock before glancing at the team again and noticing kubikiri bocho across Naruto's back and three scrolls in Sasuke's possession. "WHAT?!" his yell reverberated through the office and out into the village, shaking windows.

Naruto picked at his ear, "it's cool Jiji, Sasuke and I dealt with the demon brothers, Sakura took out the ice nin, and the whole team took out Zabuza. Plus, Sasuke and I took major steps into following our dreams."

Sarutobi stared at the gennin in shock before taking action. "Kakashi. I want a full report on the mission starting from the moment you left the gate. Every last detail, ok?" Kakashi just nodded, "Team seven, you won't be having another C-rank for a long while. I want you each to have a week of from mission detail, you can start with a couple of D's next week before moving back onto C-ranks. Any questions?"

Kakashi grasped the Hokage's attention, "Umm yeah, we'll take the break and the few D-ranks. But I can honestly say these kids are prepared for the Chunnin exams. So can they enrol in the next exams?" he asked.

Sarutobi was about to deny the request when he thought about what the kids just accomplished, 'they did manage to take out two C-rank missing ninja's, what sounds like a B-rank ninja, and one of the legendary swordsman of the mist…though mentally they may not be ready for the actual promotion, they could easily survive the exams. Maybe they'll surprise me..'

Sarutobi looked over the team and said, "Request accepted, I'll give you the forms when you hand in your report. Go and rest you three, it's late."

"hai Hokage-sama/Jiji" the team said before walking out the office.

As the team got to the bottom of the stairs, Kakashi turned to them. "alright guys, we'll have tomorrow morning off. But I want you guys at our training field at two o'clock, I will have some surprises waiting for you." Kakashi said looking up at the rising moon, "it's late. Go home and get some rest, see you later." And with poof of smoke Kakashi was gone.

Sasuke turned and started walking towards the back of the Hokage tower, "I'm gonna turn in these bodies and Zabuza's headband. See what I get for them. Cya tomorrow." He said holding up three scrolls and a headband as he left.

Sakura turned to Naruto, "Goodnight Naruto-Nii-kun, Cya tomorrow." She said before sending chakra to her feet and skated down the street in a pink and red blur.

Naruto sighed to himself then smiled, 'guess I'm off to bed, then I can fully absorb Zabuza and learn his moves and stuff. I wonder if Kyuubi-san will eat his negative emotions like he did Mizuki's..'

With that thought in mind, Naruto jumped across the rooftops to his house.

* * *

Landing at his front door, Naruto saw his door graffitied again. "Die Demon, Burn in Hell, Monster." He read sadly. With a deep sigh, Naruto unlocked his door and entered his home. First thing he noticed was that his window had been smashed thanks to the brick now sitting in the centre of his room, the glass lay all over his room shards stabbing into furniture or just lying on the ground.

Naruto just looked at the damage sadly, before turning and walking out of his apartment. 'I'll deal with it tomorrow, for now I guess I'll just sleep in the park like I used to.' With that sad thought, Naruto started walking towards the park near the Hokage tower.

* * *

Sasuke just exited the bounty hall holding a new briefcase which was filled with cash. 'I think I made the right choice with this. Now I can refurnish my family's house,' he thought walking into the moonlight and heading on his way home.

Just as he left the Hokage's compound, he saw Naruto walking towards the park around the corner. 'Otouto? I thought you'd be in bed by now..' Sasuke watched curiously as Naruto stepped onto the footpath that winded through the park.

Sasuke jogged over to Naruto, "Otouto, why are you out here?" he asked when he got close enough.

His eyes widened in shock when he saw Naruto's saddened face, "Otouto?" he asked.

Naruto sadly smiled at Sasuke, "Hey aniki, I just felt like sleeping at the park tonight. My house isn't exactly…inviting, at the moment." Naruto said looking down at his feet.

Sasuke could feel the sadness pouring off of Naruto, he grabbed Naruto's arm and pulled him as he turned and started walking back towards the buildings of the village.

Naruto looked at Sasuke curiously, "Where are we going aniki?" he asked sadly.

Sasuke kept walking and didn't look back, all he did say was, "Home."

Naruto just followed behind in confusion, letting Sasuke lead the way.

* * *

The two arrived at Sasuke's house, he still lived in the Uchiha district but not in his families old home. He lived near the Nakano shrine at the back of the district, "Naruto," he said turning to him, "you won't be alone anymore. The villagers wouldn't dare enter my district, so you will stay here with me. Okay?"

Naruto looked at Sasuke in shock, "You'd let me stay with you Sasuke?" he asked.

Sasuke nodded and mumbled, "I won't let my brother suffer alone." He pulled Naruto through the front door and they took off their shoes. "I have the bedroom upstairs on the north side. There are three more you can choose from, I'm using the master bedroom as a storage room for my ninja tools and scrolls. We can move your things in tomorrow before sensei's meeting."

Naruto nodded while tears started to pour from his eyes, "Thanks Aniki." He whispered quietly.

Sasuke led Naruto upstairs where Naruto picked the room facing south, towards the Hokage monument. "Can I have this one?" he asked.

Sasuke nodded, "of course, there are bed sheets in the cupboard. Do you want help or…?" "I got it aniki," Naruto spoke walking towards the cupboard.

Sasuke patted Naruto's shoulder and walked to his bedroom, "if you need me, I'm right here okay?"

"Yeah.." Naruto stepped into his new room and looked around, it wasn't too large but it was definitely roomy, almost as big as his whole apartment. He walked towards the cupboard and pulled out a set of bed sheets.

After setting the bed, Naruto lay looking out the window at the Hokage monument, 'thanks Aniki," he thought before falling asleep.

* * *

**_Mindscape_**

Naruto walked into the cell-room of his mindscape and waved to Naomi and Mizuki who were sitting on the roof of the small building. Mizuki pointed towards the Kyuubi's cage when Naomi wasn't looking.

Naruto looked over to the cage to see an unconscious Zabuza lying under the Kyuubi's claw.

"**He was a tad scared when he arrived here. Naturally he tried to cause some havoc, so I stopped him. Not so tough without that sword of his."**

Naruto walked over to Zabuza's form as Kyuubi lifted its claw up. "hey Kyu, can you eat his negative emotions like you did Mizuki? That way he'll be happy that someone like me is giving his sword a good name. Well, hopefully at least." He asked.

Kyuubi's maw opened in an evil grin, "**Of course Kit! Thanks for the delicious meal."**

Naruto smiled back, while bending down to Zabuza moulding the last hand sign. "HA!" he yelled as he pulled Zabuza's essence out of his body, half of it forming his soul and the other half flowing into Naruto. He cut off the last of the jutsu to leave the negative emotions in the body.

"Here Kyuubi!" he yelled as he kicked Zabuza's corpse into the air inside the cage.

Kyuubi snapped it's jaws shut on Zabuza and swished him around in its mouth before crunching down and then swallowing, "**sweet god, that man was filled with more hatred than most lower level demons. Its soooo delicious!" **Kyuubi said as it rolled onto it's back and sighed in joy.

Naruto laughed at Kyuubi's actions, gaining the attention of Mizuki again. "You done Naruto?" he asked.

Naruto turned to Mizuki and gave him a thumbs up, "Yep all finished!" he yelled.

Mizuki smiled and let go of little Naomi's arm who had her eyes closed. She opened them and ran over to Naruto, embracing him in a hug. "Are you ok? We watched what you did while your where awake on the screen. It was so dangerous!" she said looking up to him.

Naruto smiled down at her, "it's my job Naomi-chan, I know what I'm doing while I'm out there. How are you finding it in here with your new dad?" he asked with a smile.

She grinned and ran back to Mizuki, jumping on the couch next to him. "It's great! Tousan and I spend all day watching the screen, playing and talking to Kyu-chan!" **"I'M NOT A –CHAN! I'M A FUCKING DEMON!" **"He says that a lot." She said giggling.

Naruto was about to reply when he heard a groan, "uuuugh, what the hell happened to me?"

The three turned on the couch to look at Zabuza's soul, which was just sitting up and looking around.

"Hey, Zabuza-san!" Naruto said cheerily trying to make a connection with Zabuza.

Zabuza turned and saw the kid that killed him, and jumped to his feet about to attack in rage. When he realised he wasn't actually angry. "I ask again, what happened?" he said trying to be harsh to Naruto, but he just couldn't find it in him to do so.

"I absorbed you Zabuza-san, if I hadn't you would've died from either blood loss or one of my other teammate's hands." Naruto said matter-of-factly.

Zabuza looked at Naruto as if he was frustrated, but unsure how to show it.

Zabuza sighed and dropped his glare, and just asked Naruto plainly. "So now what brat?"

Naruto smiled at Zabuza and waved him over to the couch, Zabuza walked over and sat down, looking curiously at Mizuki and Naomi. "So Zabuza," Naruto said gaining Zabuza's attention. "What do you remember since I absorbed you?"

Naruto's question baffled Zabuza, "Nothing kid, I only just woke up… actually I seem to recall a fox or something, I dunno."

"**You mean me, demon of the mist?" **Zabuza turned around to see the Kyuubi glaring down at him.

Zabuza swallowed deeply, "Umm yep. I guess that was you…" Zabuza turned back to Naruto then glanced at the two on the couch, then back at Kyuubi, then Naruto again.

"Kid, what the hell are you?"

Naruto smirked, "I am gennin, Naruto Uzumaki, Konoha's best assassin, Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi and only user of the soul drain technique. Nice to meet you, welcome to my mind."

Zabuza stared at Naruto for a few moments, "…I need a drink."

Mizuki laughed, "Yeah I feel like that every day since becoming a part of this kid." He said pointing to Naruto with his thumb.

Naruto raised a brow, and focussed. Suddenly a table appeared with a bottle and two saucers on it, "I don't really know what alcohol tastes like, so it'll taste like whatever you imagine it to be."

Zabuza stood up and poured some for himself, taking the whole saucer in one go Zabuza sighed in relief. "That hits the spot. So brat, what happened to my sword? It is legendary for a reason you know."

Naruto smiled and said, "I'm gonna start training with it tomorrow, I'll receive your muscle memories when I wake up, giving me as much knowledge about how to use the blade as you had."

Zabuza hmm'd, and sat back on the couch, "you better become famous and represent my blade with pride. When you wake up, channel a decent chunk of chakra into through the handle. You'll be in for a big surprise." Zabuza said with a chuckle.

**"Kit, it's morning Sasuke just knocked on your door."** The Kyuubi said interrupting the conversation.

Naruto looked back at the screen and saw the sunlight on the back of his eyelids and heard the knocking through the speakers. "Ok, guess I'm off. Cya guys later, Mizuki I'll give you a small bit of control. You should be able to make any drink appear, and form some things." Naruto said, jumping from the roof and running down the hallway out of his mind.

* * *

"Otouto, are you up?" Sasuke said pushing the door open just as Naruto sat up.

"Yeah aniki!" he shouted with a smile. Sasuke looked at Naruto and saw his smile, it was contagious.

Sasuke entered and sat on the end of the bed, "I was thinking, Sakura-chan said she was trying to find a place to move out to right? Well we have two extra rooms here…what do you think?" he said while Naruto got up and grabbed his new sword.

Naruto turned to Sasuke and smiled, "I think we have a three step plan for the day." He replied.

Sasuke raised a brow at Naruto's strange phrase. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Naruto stretched as the two boys walked out of the room, "Step one, Breakfast at Ichiraku's. Step two, Get all my stuff. Step three, go to training and ask Nee-chan about it then. Sound good?" Naruto asked as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

Naruto turned to Sasuke, "I mean, if you still want me here at least.."

Sasuke thunked Naruto on the head, "Stop going all emo, that's my thing. Let's hurry up, we got a lot to do today."

The two boys headed outside as Sasuke wrapped his kusa around his chest and Naruto was looking at the blade he still had to use two hands to use. "What's up?" Sasuke asked looking between Naruto and the sword.

Naruto glanced at Sasuke and remembered Zabuza's words. "I got this feeling…that the sword wants some of my chakra."

Sasuke raised a brow at Naruto, "did I hit you too hard? You talk to swords now?" Naruto scowled at Sasuke and focused back on the sword, Sasuke sighed. "Fine, channel your chakra and let's get going."

Naruto nodded and channelled some chakra into the sword, what happened amazed both of the boys.

The sword, which used to have a ten foot tall blade and be three feet wide suddenly changed. It maintained it's shape but became thinner, only about one foot wide now. The blade increased its length to twelve feet, and now the backside had five small spikes pointing out of it. Though the mass didn't seem to change at all. "Woah," Naruto said in shock.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan to analyse the blade, "it looks like the blade took your chakra to change it's shape to suit your fighting style more. Guess it thinks your much taller.."

Naruto frowned in thought, 'it must be because my fighting style IS Zabuza's when it comes to sword fighting. But it made itself more speed capable because of my practice with the speed of a shuriken. Are the spikes from Naomi-chan?' Naruto grinned hugely at the concept.

Sasuke shook Naruto out of his daze, "that was pretty awesome, but maybe we should edit your three step day plan a little bit."

Naruto turned to Sasuke and raised a brow, "What for?" he asked as they began to walk out of the Uchiha compound.

Sasuke gestured to the blade hanging across his shoulders. "We should drop by Higurashi-san's shop and see if he can make a holster for that monster after breakfast." He said.

Naruto smiled, "that's a great idea aniki! Let's go!" he yelled as he started running towards Ichiraku's ramen shop.

* * *

"Hey Old Man! One of everything! I skipped dinner and haven't had Brekkie so let's start!" Naruto said jumping onto a stool at the end of the bar and leaning his sword against the wall.

Teuchi Ichiraku turned and welcomed his favourite customer, "hello Naruto, how are…..you? Is that a sword?" he asked looking at kubikiri bocho.

Sasuke sat on the stool next to Naruto, "yeah, it's from our latest mission right aniki?" Naruto said turning to Sasuke.

He smiled at Naruto, then nodded at Teuchi. "Hn." He grunted.

Hearing Naruto refer to Sasuke as his older brother, Teuchi's smile lit up his whole face. "I see you found some more family Naruto?" Naruto nodded, "then the first rounds on the house." Teuchi said with a smile.

Ayame walked out from the back and saw Naruto, "Naruto-kun! How've you been!?" she said leaning over the counter and kissing his forehead.

Naruto grinned up at her, "Hey Nee-chan, I've been great! You wanna meet my brother? This is Sasuke!"

Ayame looked at Sasuke and felt a blush travel over her face, 'wow, he's certainly a cutie' "it's nice to meet you Sasuke-kun, what'll you two be having?" she asked trying to hide her blush 'what am I thinking he's three years younger than me.'

Sasuke looked over the menu and decided on an order, "Large shrimp thanks." He said looking into her eyes, 'is she blushing?' he thought.

"Four large pork! And maybe you should get started on two bowls of miso for my desert, I'm starving!" Naruto yelled interrupting the stare between Sasuke and Ayame.

Ayame stood up straight and turned to her dad, "one large shrimp and Naruto's usual, starting with pork today. Got it dad?" she asked.

Teuchi smiled widely, "Got it honey, now let's get cooking!" he said throwing ingredients into the broth pot and stretching out the last of the noodles.

Naruto nudged Sasuke, "So what's going on between you and Sakura-nee-chan?" he asked gaining the attention of Ayame, who was pretending she wasn't listening.

Sasuke sighed, "Do we have to talk about this now? I don't even have a clue... I can't think about that yet." He said in frustration.

Naruto raised a brow, "why not aniki?"

Sasuke glanced at Naruto from the corner of his eye then leaned closer, "Fine, I'll tell you. But you can't mention it to anyone. Ok?" he whispered.

Naruto picked up on the seriousness of Sasuke, and ducked closer "Yeah ok I promise, what's the problem?" he loudly whispered back.

Ayame wondered closer and began to pour some glasses of water to keep up the pretence of work.

Sasuke sighed again, "the council have declared that the Clan Restoration Act be activated concerning the Uchiha clan." He said, causing Ayame to blush at the thought.

Naruto sat up scratching his head, "What's that Aniki?"

Sasuke frowned at Naruto, "Didn't you pay ANY attention at all in the academy?" Naruto was about to respond when Sasuke cut him off. "Nevermind. Stupid question."

This caused Naruto to frown, "Meanie. But seriously what is it?"

Sasuke sat up, feeling the seriousness dissipating. Letting Ayame hear much better.

"The CRA takes action when a clan with special jutsu or a bloodline is reduced to less than ten people. The males of the clan may take up to four wives, and each wife must have at least two children. And at least one of them must be male. This continues until there are at least twelve males capable of having children." He explained.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "So basically you need to find four girls that are willing to be with you AND share you? Usually I'd say how ridiculous that is, but considering your hundreds of fangirls, they'll do anything you ask so why not some of them?" he asked while Sasuke deadpanned at him.

"Otouto, I would rather die than let a fangirl be part of my family." Sasuke said completely serious.

Naruto blinked in shock, "That's a little harsh, why?"

Sasuke sighed and took a sip from his glass of water, "The fangirls see me as 'Uchiha-sama'. Why would I want a girl that doesn't even see me as Sasuke?" he said staring into his water.

Naruto patted him on the back, "Wanna make a list of possible girls?" he said with a joking smile.

The suggestion brought a smirk to Sasuke's lips, "Sure, you make one for me and I'll cross out those I'm completely against? See if we can find anyone." He said.

Teuchi yelled, "Order up!" taking the attention of Ayame, who listened in on the whole conversation between Naruto and Sasuke.

Not five seconds later, Ayame placed the boy's orders in front of them. "Anything I can get you two?" She asked glancing at Sasuke with a light blush on her face.

Naruto, who was already a quarter of the way through his first bowl, said "You got some paper and a pen Ayame-nee-chan?"

Ayame nodded and realised he was gonna write the list right now. She ripped a piece of paper from her receipt booklet and reached to grab a pen. Before giving it to Naruto, she quickly scrawled her own name about halfway down the page. "Here you go Naruto-kun." She said

Naruto stopped eating for a moment and grabbed the offered items, he noticed Ayame's name on the list and looked up at her. She smiled to him with a blush and glanced at Sasuke, who was enraptured with the food. Naruto's grin lit up his face while he nodded, "Alright aniki, I'll start your list right now!" he said writing a few names on the paper around hers.

Sasuke turned to Naruto, a noodle hanging out of the corner of his mouth. "Hmm?" he murmured before swallowing. "Now?" he asked with the noodle still hanging from his mouth without his knowledge.

Naruto smiled and inhaled half of the food in his bowl before replying, "Yeah now, don't you worry about it ok? It'll be ready before the end of this training break." He said putting it into his pocket.

"Umm Sasuke-kun?" he turned to look at Ayame, who was leaning over the counter. "You've got umm.." she said looking at Sasuke's eyes then the noodle on his face. "…I've got it," she reached over and scooped the noodle off of his face and put it into her mouth with one finger while looking at him. "mmmm," she hummed, over acting the deliciousness of the noodle before she swallowed.

Sasuke stared into her eyes, his face holding a red hue. "Delicious." She said returning the stare succeeding in looking seductive, before turning and walking to another customer who just sat down.

Sasuke's gaze followed her movement, "Umm Naruto?" "She's on the list." "…thanks."

* * *

"That was delicious!" Naruto yelled as they exited Ichiraku's.

Sasuke looked back to see Ayame waving to him, "Come back soon!" she said loudly.

Sasuke smirked and nodded back to her before following Naruto down the road. "Hey Otouto," he said grasping Naruto's attention. "I know how much you like ramen, so how abut we have breakfast there every morning?" he finished.

Naruto smiled hugely while chuckling, "heh, sure Aniki. That way you can see Ayame-nee-chan every morning right?"

"Hn." Sasuke grunted out, irritated and Naruto's 'keen eye'.

"How come you notice when other people are interested in each other but you can't see it when someone likes you?" Sasuke mumbled in irritation.

Naruto stumbled as the two were turning a corner, "Eh? Who likes me?" he asked in shock.

Sasuke raised a brow at Naruto, "You seriously haven't noticed? Dear Log you're thick." He said partway between amused and sceptical.

Naruto jumped in front of Sasuke halting his progress, "What do you mean Aniki?" he whined.

Sasuke smirked, "Tell you what, if your little stunt with this list is successful I'll give you a clue as to who it is."

Naruto's eyes suddenly lit up in excitement, "YEAH! I'll find the best bachelorette's in town!" he yelled a little too loud as many people started to look at the two as if they were crazy.

Sasuke whacked Naruto on the head, "Dobe! Don't yell out things like that!" he walked past Naruto's and turned down the street towards Dan's ninja store.

Naruto ran up next to him and rested his blade against his shoulder with one hand while rubbing his head with the other, "That hurt Aniki…" he whined.

Naruto looked around and realised a lot of villager's were staring at him in fear instead of the usual hate filled glares and a lot of ninja were staring at him either in awe or confusion and awe. "ne, Aniki? Why are people staring at us?"

Sasuke looked around and noticed the stares, he followed their gazes and realised everyone was staring at the sword. 'oh right, every ninja would know about Zabuza's reputation with Kubikiri bocho. Although I'm guessing the higher up ninja's are noticing the differences between the two blades.. I think the villagers are scared because the 'demon' is in possession of such a massive weapon. How did we not notice this until now?!' "They're looking at your new sword Otouto. It does stand out quite a bit." He said.

Naruto looked at the blade slung over his shoulder, "oh yeah….I think you're right about needing to get a holster or something Sasuke. People will notice this way too quickly. That's not a good thing for Konoha's No.1 assassin." He said with a smirk.

Sasuke grunted as they arrived at Higurashi's Ninja Store. "Let's see what we can do then." Sasuke said opening the door.

Hearing the bell on the door ring, Dan turned towards the door seeing Naruto and Sasuke. "Hey boys, back from your mission? So…what….. Is that THE Kubikiri Bocho?! Wielded be Zabuza Momochi of the Legendary Seven Swordsmen of the mist!? HOW THE HELL DID YOU GETIT?!" he yelled in excitement leaping over the counter and staring at the blade.

Naruto and Sasuke smirked at the weapons dealer, "We killed him and split the winnings." Naruto answered nonchalantly.

Dan stared at the two in awe, "if you didn't currently have the blade in your possession I would never believe that but…here it is." He said in awe.

Naruto looked up at Dan, "Actually I need your help with this, I was wondering if there was a way to seal it away while having it still easily drawn and keeping its weight so I can get used to it." He asked.

Dan looked up, holding his chin in thought. "hmmm, not that I know of. But I may have two or three things that will end up with the same result, follow me." Dan said walking back to the counter and returning behind it.

The two boys followed him and listened for his explanation. "Well, I could give you a partial sealing sheath for the sword. Though I'll need to get it modified to fit something to large. Usually they only hold a katana or something of the like." Dan said drawing his idea on a piece of paper for the boys, "it'll look like about two feet long, and one foot wide. And when your sword is partially sealed in it, the handle will stick out, along with the start of the blade. I hope." He drew a small black rectangle with kubikiri's handle sticking out the top, "it'll absorb all the weight though, only weighing as much as about a couple of kunai. But I got a solution for that problem." Dan said as he stood up and walked over to a rack of bracelets.

He picked up two from the top row and showed them to the boys, "these are top class chakra weights, the first one you wrap around your wrists and the other goes around your ankles. They'll increase in your sleep if your body seems to have gotten used to the weight they are currently set as during the day. That way you won't be caught off guard during battle or something by the weights increasing."

Dan put them on the counter so Naruto could pick them up and look at them. Dan continued, "The only problem is that these seals malfunction if they come into contact with other seals, so we would have to move around your current sealing bracelets that hold your shuriken." Dan finished with a frown.

Having a curious moment, Sasuke activated his Sharingan and looked over the seals in concentration. "Woah." He said quietly.

He could see every individual stroke that was taken to draw the seal where the chakra was pushed into, he could see all the trigger points and in a second, his Sharingan had copied the seal flawlessly.

Sasuke blinked and looked away, deactivating his Sharingan. "Are you alright Sasuke?" Dan asked.

Sasuke nodded and asked, "After Naruto's deal, can I buy any book you have on sealing? Especially if they have an image of the seal?"

Dan raised a brow, "interested in seals aye? Alright I'll set that up for ya once we figure this out." He said gesturing to Naruto and his sword.

Sasuke nodded, and while the other two were in a discussion on how to fix the problem. Sasuke activated his Sharingan and copied all the seals that were visible to him, his Sharingan recording and informing him. 'Explosive seal, chakra seal, chakra weight seal, partial storage seal, full storage seal, blood-accessing seal, gravity seal, element seals, expansion seal, disintegration seal. AA' "AAAAAAAHHHHH!" Sasuke clutched his head and closed his eyes, deactivating his Sharingan.

Naruto turned to Sasuke in shock, "ANIKI!?" he yelled in worry and grabbed Sasuke's hands "Aniki! What happened?!" he asked as Sasuke stopped screaming.

Sasuke took a few deep breaths and looked up at Naruto, "I think I just discovered something.." he said panting.

Dan pulled the boys to their feet, "are you alright?" he asked in worry.

Sasuke nodded, "Yeah, I think I owe you some money Higurashi-san. Considering I've purchased about ten of your seals on accident." He said smirking a little at his new understanding of the intricate art of seals.

Dan raised a brow, "Umm these aren't my seals, I have no idea how to read or write seals. I just sell the stock. What are you talking about Sasuke?" he asked

Sasuke stood on his own now, leaning against the counter. "My Sharingan just copied a lot of seals, but copying all that so quickly...well it hurt for a moment." Sasuke said.

Naruto stood in awe, "the Sharingan can copy seals?" he asked.

Dan nodded in thought, "well it can see chakra flow and perfectly memorise whatever it sees, so it makes sense I guess. Although I never heard of an Uchiha that used seals," he said, "well I tell ya what Sasuke, I'll just charge you for a standard ninja pack with a booster in sealing. Sound good?" Sasuke nodded. "I'm gonna have to send Jiraiya-sama a message about this when I send out the next order.." Dan finished in thought.

Naruto spoke up, "Oi, that's awesome and all but what are we gonna do about my weapon seals clashing with the weight seals?" Naruto asked.

Dan and Sasuke brought their attention back to Naruto's problem, "I really don't know what to do Naruto, it's a hard one for sure." Dan said.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan and analysed the seals Naruto was fussing over, "it seems that even though the weight seal can't be near the storage seal, the same doesn't apply to the two different storage seals. Why don't you place the seals that contain Naruto's shuriken on the actual holster that his sword will be partially sealed in?" Sasuke finished, de-activating his Sharingan.

Dan looked at Sasuke in shock, "that could definitely work if what you said about the seals are true. Are you sure Sasuke?" Dan asked.

Sasuke smirked, "I'm positive Higurashi-san." He said confidently.

Higurashi smiled at Naruto and Sasuke, "it seems like we have a solution, eh boys?" he said.

Naruto cheered, "YATTA! Thanks Aniki!" he said, his smile threatening to split his face.

"Alright, I'll make the sheath and apply the partial seal to it. Sasuke will you be able to create and write the storage seal to it for Naruto's shuriken?" Dan asked while picking up Naruto's massive sword with a grunt.

Sasuke nodded, "easily Higurashi-san."

Dan nodded after placing the sword on the counter, which only half of it even fit on. "Alright, I'll have this ready by tomorrow. Naruto you can buy the weights now and I'll hold onto your weapons if you'd like?" Dan said.

Naruto nodded still smiling, "Sounds great! This enough?" Naruto said placing two full wads of cash on the counter.

Dan's grin sparkled while he took the money, "I guess you're paying for Sasuke as well today then?"

"Umm, sure I guess. This makes us even for when you draw my storage seal on the sheath right Sasuke?" Naruto asked

Sasuke nodded, grabbing some ink, a brush and small notepad about the size of his palm. "In that case, I'll take this as well." Dan nodded and said "go ahead, remember to come back tomorrow for your sheath Naruto."

Sasuke grabbed his new book and sealing utensils and then the boys ran out of the shop waving goodbye.

Outside of the shop Naruto clasped his new weights on his wrists and ankles, "huh? I don't feel any heavier…maybe these are faulty?" he asked Sasuke.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan and analysed how the seals worked, "you have to put chakra into them so they can analyse your body and set their weight according to what they find. A second burst of chakra and the weights lose all their weight. By the looks of things, the first time they increase will feel huge, but after that you'll barely notice the increase." He said, still feeling odd that he could tell all of that from just a glance.

Naruto nodded in understanding, "thanks for the info Aniki," he said and channelled chakra into the weights-

*BAM*

-and subsequently falling to his hands and knees, smacking his limbs solidly onto the ground. "Ow." He simply stated while slowly climbing to his feet, "shit, these are much heavier than my sword...ugh this is gonna be hard." He said slowly walking to keep up with Sasuke on their way to the training grounds.

Sasuke walked slower to accommodate Naruto, "You good?" he asked.

Grunting with every step, Naruto answered "I guess so, although we can't take any pit stops on the way to training at this speed."

Sasuke nodded, "That's alright, when we make to the bridge I'll buy some food from one of the stalls. Don't worry I can catch up to you quite easily slowpoke." He said with a smirk.

"Let's get going then!" Naruto shouted and tried to run, he didn't succeed, but at least he was moving at almost a normal walking pace now.

* * *

"sweet…..log….this….is…..tiring!" Naruto panted, now trying to jog and almost succeeding.

Sasuke walked alongside now at a brisk walking pace, "at least we finally caught up to that snail.." he murmured, smirking at Naruto's expense as they walked onto the training field.

Hearing them arrive, Sakura got up from where she was sitting and walked over to meet them. "Hey guys, Naru-nii what's wrong?" she asked seeing Naruto struggle to walk.

Naruto smiled, "Just some new training weights Sakura-nee. Sensei here yet?" he asked,

She looked at him as if he had grown a second head, "is sensei ever here on time when it's not a mission?" she rhetorically replied.

Sasuke nodded, "Maybe we should practice with our elemental manipulation til he gets here?" he said.

Naruto cheered while trying, and failing, to jump into the air. "Yeah! That's a great idea!" he said.

They each grabbed what they needed from around the training field and was about to get started when he had a thought, "hey guys, why don't we check on our secondary elements?" he asked distracting Sasuke and Sakura.

Sasuke raised a brow at Naruto, "why would we do that? Its meant to be harder than learning our main element." He said.

Naruto nodded, his thought turning into a plan. "well I already know how moulded earth chakra feels cause of my earth jutsus, so if I taught Sakura-nee a few of them it might help her grasp the last part of the second stage."

Sakura smiled, "that's a great plan Naruto, thanks!" she said smiling.

Sasuke picked up on what Naruto was thinking, and put it into a sufficient explanation "So you think since I already know how fire chakra feels because of my jutsu, I should be able to mast it quicker?"

Naruto nodded energetically, "Yeah! That's it!" he yelled in excitement.

So the team started their new training, of Naruto teaching Sakura the proper hand signs needed for his jutsu, and Sasuke burning through a leaf with just his chakra.

* * *

Kakashi arrive in a puff of smoke, just in time to be thrown into the air by an earth wall. "WHAT THE FU-"

*SMACK*

He was interrupted when he flew straight into the trunk of a nearby tree.

Naruto and Sakura were too busy cheering at her success of the jutsu to notice Kakashi's appearance, but Sasuke did, so he jumped over to great their sensei. "Good afternoon sensei. You alright?" he asked as he landed.

Kakashi rolled onto his feet and nodded to Sasuke, "yeah I'm good. I see you three are training pretty hard?"

Sasuke nodded and smirked at his sensei while picking up a leaf. It incinerated in his hand. "it does seem that way sensei, what's next?" he asked watching his teacher's stunned eye.

Kakashi and Sasuke walked over to the tired looking Sakura and slouched over Naruto. "Well, well, well, you two have really been going at it eh?" Kakashi said watching them.

"Yeah sensei, I can do both of Naruto's earth jutsu now! And I just managed the earth wall without hand signs!" Sakura cheered while Kakashi's eye widened in shock.

"But how? You could only have done that if you mastered your element with the second step or had been doing the jutsu non-stop for months!?" Kakashi asked unbelievingly.

Naruto explained, "Well after I taught Sakura-chan the earth wall, she knew how earth chakra felt. So it made it much easier for her, and now." He said gesturing to Sakura.

She understood what he wanted and looked at the earth wall, channelling earth chakra to her foot. She stomped the ground and focused chakra towards the wall, which crushed in on itself as her chakra impacted it.

Kakashi stared on in shock while thinking, 'Anko can't even crush a piece of earth that large with her earth chakra! This girl has some monstrous control!'

Sakura smiled at Kakashi, "what now sensei?"

Kakashi snapped out of his funk and pulled out three scrolls, "I got a two jutsu scrolls for each of you,

Sasuke. Your first scroll has three fire jutsu, they are each a C-rank, B-rank and an A-rank. Your second scroll contains a new Genjutsu for you, and two lightening jutsu, one of which is of my own creation.

Sakura. For you I have a scroll that holds a completely speed based Taijutsu style, and two nin-jutsu that go with it. Your second scroll has three earth style jutsu, a C-rank and two A-ranks. These will be chakra taxing, but with your control it wouldn't amaze me if you had them completely mastered by the end of the week.

Naruto. We're gonna let Sakura focus on the earth style techniques, I got you a water style scroll and a wind style. The water scroll has a C-rank jutsu and two A-ranks, but you have to finish water manipulation before you get that one. Unfortunately, Konoha doesn't often have wind jutsu users so there wasn't many I could choose from. But I still managed to get you three jutsu, the first two are C-rank while the third is A-rank.

I can do all of these nin-jutsu so feel free to ask me any questions alright?" Kakashi finished with an eye-smile.

Naruto jumped to his feet, actually make it up finally being used to his weights, "YATTA! This is gonna be the best training ever!" he yelled while Sasuke smirked from beside him and Sakura grinned.

"Alright, let's begin! You only have just over a week til the exams so hurry it up!" Kakashi said happily.

The team began their training, confident in their success at the Chunnin exams.

* * *

Naruto's progress dramatically increased over the next week.

Naruto did all the water manipulation techniques extremely quick, thanks to the instincts given to him by Zabuza. Two of the jutsu on the scroll were the _Water Style: Water Clone jutsu _and _Water Style: Water Dragon jutsu_, both of which Naruto had mastered thanks to Zabuza's memories. Naruto managed to learn the last jutsu _Water Style: Water wall_ in less than a day and mastered on the morning of the next day_._ Zabuza's memories also gave Naruto access to the _Hidden Mist jutsu_. Which only needed one hand sign anyway.

His wind style jutsu took much longer to learn, with Naruto only managing to master one. The first C-rank jutsu _Wind style: Great breakthrough. _The other two Naruto was able to do, but he still needed a one-handed hand-sign for the other C-rank _Wind Style: Upgrade blade_ and needed four hand signs for the _Wind Style: Vacuum sphere._

Naruto picked up Zabuza's sword style immediately. When he got it back from Dan, he immediately loved the new set-up and Sasuke's modifications. The sheath covered his back acting as a type of rear defence. It was a black rectangle with the handle of kubikiri bocho sticking out the top. The storage seal for his shuriken was in white and was large enough to cover the whole sheath, meaning it could hold much, much more. It currently was stocked with forty giant shuriken and a bag that contained more sealing equipment for Sasuke, stocked with soldier pills and the team's tent.

Sasuke learned every fire jutsu he was given and near mastered them. The C-rank fire jutsu _Fire Style: Spitfire _was pure fire manipulation, and thus needed no hand signs. The other two _Fire style: Flame beast _and _fire style: Dragon flame bomb, _he still needed hand signs for but he could do so extremely fluently.

His Genjutsu was _Ninja art: Crucifixion._ This Genjutsu was disguised as an earth jutsu and made the target feel as though they were pinned to a crucifix that sprouted from the ground. His lightening jutsu were still at a basic level. He could activate the _lightening armor_ just by channelling the chakra across his skin but he could only focus it on individual parts, and Sasuke could perform the Chidori, but hasn't been able to hold it's form while moving yet.

Sasuke's sealing techniques had increased rapidly, he could now write any of the seals he knew in less than twenty seconds. And he had knowledge of every basic seal and many advanced seals, though he didn't know any Great seals or master seals. Looking at the fox's seal still baffled him, and gave him a headache when looking with his Sharingan.

Sakura's results were astounding, she seemed to be a natural with earth jutsu, the _earth style: mud flow river_ was used to slow down the opponent while speed up the user's head on charge. Sakura mastered the _earth style: essence of stone,_ and in conjunction with her chakra skating technique Sakura completely nullified the weaknesses of the jutsu. Her last elemental jutsu, the _earth style: earth spears _technique was her last resort jutsu and she still needed six hand seals of the original fourteen to use it.

Sakura's new Taijutsu style was basically, incredible. It focused on closing in on an opponent and releasing numerous high-impact blows in seconds. This combined with Sakura's other techniques made her a juggernaut in Taijutsu.

Sakura's two non-element jutsu were the _shunshin, _which further increased her speed and acted as a near instant movement technique, and the _ninja art: Mystic Palm _which was a medical jutsu that can heal basic cuts, bruises and numb pain.

She also visited Dan's shop and with his help, made some modifications to her gauntlets, which she hasn't shown her teammates. The only noticeable difference about the bracelets was that she now had more on her shoulders, ankles and lower thighs.

It was at this stage Kakashi decided the team was ready to take on missions again.

* * *

"Next mission."

"Gennin team seven reporting for mission Hokage-sama. Requesting local C-rank or multiple D-ranks."

The Hokage looked up from the paperwork in front of him to see team seven looking excited and battle ready, they each wore new outfits to help their fighting style.

Scanning over the team he appraised their new threads. Naruto now wore a no sleeve full body suit much like Zabuza's but fully black. He still wore his orange arm sleeves, but now his chakra weights were on the bottom instead of his shuriken seal bracelets. He wore his headband like Mizuki used to, unfolded covering the top of his head. His signature weapons holster slung onto his back, the white seal visible against the black colouring of the sheath. His lower face was wrapped in an orange mask, similar to Kakashi's.

Sasuke's outfit was a dark blue long sleeve shirt that held the Uchiha fan on his back. His kusa wrapped around his chest with seals visible on almost every chain-link. He wore pants that was white at the top and slowly faded into red, his sandals being a blood red colour themselves. He had a sealer's pouch on both thighs and the emblem for beginner sealers on his left shoulder.

Sakura now wore a shirt which was similar to the top half of her old dress. The bottom half of her body was covered with black tights that had a red stripe running down the side, her pink hair was cut to shoulder length and pulled up into a high-tail. She now wore her headband across her forehead, signifying her confidence as a kunoichi. Although she appeared to be completely unarmed, she actually had two seals stitched into her pants fabric on each leg, containing the essentials of a ninja's weapons pouch. Her weapon bands and bracelets gleamed in the light.

The Hokage smiled, "Well you three certainly look the part, I'm guessing your training went well?" the three gennin nodded in response with a chant of "Hai Hokage-sama/Jiji!" they said in unison.

Sarutobi chuckled, "Well I guess if Kakashi says you're ready again. Although I think you should stick with a few D-ranks, considering how close the Chunnin exams are." He said with a smile.

Kakashi's eye widened in shock, "Oh yeah, how much longer til they start Hokage-sama?" he asked curiously.

The Hokage looked at Kakashi as if to say, 'bitch is you crazy?' but in the end he answered. "it's tomorrow Kakashi, starting at nine at the academy."

"eh?" he said shocked that it was almost time already. "Umm I don't suppose we can retract the mission request Hokage-sama?" he asked sheepishly.

Sarutobi smiled, "Sure Kakashi, make sure your students are ready alright?" he said.

Kakashi nodded and turned to his team, "guys, take the day off and remember to be at the academy at nine am tomorrow for the first exam. Ciao." And off Kakashi poof'd.

Sasuke sighed as Naruto jumped out the window, "Race you guys to Ichiraku's!" he said as he flew out the gap in the glass.

Sakura smirked to Sasuke and said, "Better catch up Sasuke-kun," she said and disappeared in a super-fast Shunshin.

Sasuke sighed again and mumbled "I always get left behind, maybe I could invent some kind of teleportation seal?.." he calmly walked out the door, in no rush.

Sarutobi chuckled at their exit, "hmhmhm, these kids are certainly something else. Next mission request!"

* * *

Naruto arrived at Ichiraku's with a cheer, "I win!"

"bout time you got here," Naruto looked to his left to see Sakura sitting down, Ayame placing the team's usual order on the bench top.

Naruto sighed as he sat down, "it's no fair, you're probably the fastest gennin now." He mumbled as he started to inhale his first bowl.

Sakura and Ayame laughed together at Naruto's expense. This was the scene that Sasuke walked in on, "what'd you this time otouto?" he asked as he grabbed his bowl of shrimp ramen and leaned against the wall from his stool, since it was the last in the row.

Ayame glanced at Sasuke, the usual blush covering her features "he was complaining about Sakura-chan's speed again." She said smiling sisterly at Sakura.

Naruto finished his first bowl and started on his second, barely getting out "Aniki, I finally finished your list!" with a smirk between mouthfuls.

Ayame blushed even more and let out a small cough, gaining Sakura's attention she leant over and whispered. "That's the list I was telling you about!" Sakura's eyes widened in realisation.

Over the week, Sakura and Ayame had grown very close. Sakura took Ayame out when she needed a new outfit and since the little shopping spree, the two gladly jousted to everyone that they were best friends.

On one of their hangouts, Ayame told Sakura about Sasuke's 'wife list' as she called it. They made an agreement that they could share with each other, but they weren't fond of the idea of too many wives.

The girls giggled, causing Sasuke to look up at them. "What is it?" he asked.

The girls looked at him and giggled again before saying in unison; "Nothing Sasuke-kun!"

The two boys were a little creeped out at the action. Naruto inhaled the last part of his second bowl of ramen before whispering to Sasuke, "Psst! I got the list at home, I'll show you when we get there ok? So who is it that likes me? Do I know her well?" he asked.

Sasuke looked at Naruto, clearly irritated and confused with the girl's behaviour. "Yeah you do, in fact she was in our class." He said.

Naruto's eyes widened in shock, "Really? Who is it?!" he yelled, gaining the attention of the two girls.

Sasuke smirked, "I said I'd give you a clue Otouto, I never said I'd tell." He said before eating his ramen.

Sakura turned to Sasuke, "who are you asking about Naruto-nii?" she inquired.

"ah I doubt you'd know, it's a very secretive subject." "it's about the girl that likes Naruto." "SHUDDUP ANIKI!"

Sakura raised her brow at the two, "Wait, you don't know Naruto-nii? It's kinda obvious.." she trailed off thinking of all the times the girl had blushed redder than a tomato whenever Naruto was mentioned.

Naruto looked at her in shock, "WHAT!? You know who it is too?" he asked.

Teuchi leaned over the counter and took Naruto's two empty bowls and Sakura's empty bowl before placing Naruto's third bowl in front of him, "You mean the little one I see following Naruto around here sometimes? I miss her, she always picked up the bill when you would run away due to the ninja discovering your pranks back at the academy.." he said with a smile.

Naruto's head turned so quick his neck cracked, "YOU KNOW!?" he yelled in shock before burying his sorrows in his last bowl of ramen.

Sasuke patted him on the back, "Everyone does but you otouto. If we run into her I'll invite her over our house for dinner, that way you'll know who we're talking about." He said.

This caused Sakura to stare at them, "Wait, what did you mean by 'our house'? You two live together now?" she asked, completely shocked.

Naruto suddenly froze before chugging down his ramen broth, hiding inside the bowl of voluptuous noodles.

Sasuke sighed, 'shit, how can I get out of this without her hitting us….. I got it!' "Guess there's no point in hiding it, I want our squad to live together. Will you move in with us Sakura-chan?" he said hoping she'll like the idea and accept.

Sakura was caught off guard, "Me? Move in with you two? I…. that's great! I'd love too!" she said unsure at first before lighting up the place with her grin.

Naruto placed his now empty bowl down, "AWESOME! Let's go get your stuff now and we can move it in!" he said, excited that more of his 'family' was coming together.

Sasuke smiled and placed his bowl down, now finished. "Let's get going guys, we'll see you tomorrow Ayame-chan." We said, waving and walking.

Naruto and Sakura hopped off their stools, getting ready to follow after Sasuke. "Catch you later Ayame-nee-chan! Old man Ichiraku!" "Be back tomorrow Aya-chan! Teuchi-san!" they said as they ran to catch up to Sasuke.

Teuchi smiled after the kids before turning back to his work. Ayame sighed while waving to the retreating backs of team seven. As she started cleaning up their bowls, she found a note sitting amongst the bowls.

'Dear Ayame-chan,

I would be honoured if you would come over to our house for dinner sometime. When are you free next?

Sincerely, Sasuke Uchiha.'

She blushed red when she saw Sasuke's signature. She placed the note in her pocket and got back to work, 'he wants me to come to his house! I'm so happy!' she thought with a huge smile.

* * *

"Uchiha-sama wants you to move in with him! YES! We can finally marry into that clan!" Sakura's mother said running upstairs to grab a suitcase for her daughter.

Sakumi Haruno was a representative on the civilian council, she had been trying for years to find a way to join one of the major clans in Konoha. Her original plan was for Sakura to 'seduce' the hyuuga clan heir, but she turned out to be a female so that plan was botched. The Uchiha was a perfect substitute.

"Do you want to do this Sakura-chan? I don't care about clan status, do you trust this boy?" her father, Mayoshi Haruno asked from his place in a wheelchair.

Mayoshi ran the Shinobi library during the week and was in charge of keeping track of which ninja learned from which jutsu scroll and gave weekly reports to the Hokage. He was a well-respected Jonin before he had to retire due to internal injuries to his spine, he can barely move his right arm and leg as it was.

Sakura smiled at her father, "yeah dad, I have to be honest with you though, I'm moving in with both of my teammates." She said.

Mayoshi nodded, "As long as you trust them, I have no reason not to. Just promise me something, if either of those boys do anything that crosses the line. Tell me straight away. Alright?" he said seriously while holding a caring smile on his face.

Sakura got up and walked to her dad, "thanks dad, I promise. Please look after mum for me? I know she's a little crazy but she means well. Although maybe you shouldn't tell her about Naruto." She said as she hugged him.

He hugged her back with his good arm, "I know honey, take care alright? And remember we're here if you need us." he said with a tear in his eye.

Sakura, nodded and stepped away from her father. "Hai daddy." She said quietly.

Her mum ran back down stairs with a suitcase, "what do you want to bring to Uchiha-sama's house?"

Sakura sighed and walked to the front door, "It's cool mum, my teammate sent a battalion to help me move. I'm here to tell them what to grab and Sasuke-kun is at the new house, he's going to instruct them on where I want everything."

Sakumi frowned at Sakura, "You mean the Demon is going to be in my house? No! I won't allow it." She said furiously.

Sakura spun around and glared at her mother, "Don't call him that!" she yelled at her mother.

Sakumi's face turned red in anger, but held it in seeing the look on her husband's face. "Fine. Make it fast." She said as she stormed into the kitchen.

Sakura smiled in victory and ran over to the door, opening it, she looked over the group of sixty _water clones. _"alright boys, remember your jobs?" they all nodded with a smile. "Get going them!"

As soon as she said this, they ran past her through to Sakura's room and soon started climbing out her window with everything she needed to bring. It was a very quick job, and Sakura found it hilarious, a bunch of cheering Naruto's running through her house and jumping out the window carrying furniture.

Sakura let the last three Naruto's through the front door and closed it behind them. The Naruto's ran upstairs while another came down them, "All the things in your room are on their way to Sasuke's house, you wanna check?" it asked Sakura.

She nodded, "yeah I'll go now, I gotta get my things from the bathroom as well." She said as she walked up the stairs.

The clone, making sure the coast was clear, approached Mayoshi who was looking out the window at the army of Narutos. "Haruno-san, boss gave me a message to deliver to you." It said as it passed him an envelope.

Mayoshi nodded to the clone, "Thankyou Naruto-san."

The clone smiled and ran up the stairs to help Sakura with the last few items.

Mayoshi opened the letter and read it. His stern face slowly turned into a smile, "I guess I could…alright I don't see why not." He spoke to himself before turning back to the window. Seeing his little girl wave to him as she disappeared in a burst of speed. "She's all grown up now." He said with a tear falling from his eye.

* * *

Sakura arrived ahead of most of the Naruto clones, she came in the back door at the same time the first items were being put down. "Wow Sakura-chan, you're getting really good at that shunshin ne?" Naruto said as he was catching the dispelling water clones in a bucket and throwing the water out the window into the river.

Sakura jumped onto her bed grinning as it was carried into her room by a smiling troop of Narutos, "That was pure speed Naruto-nii, I've almost mastered my chakra skating technique so I'm uncatchable!" she said, disappearing up the stairs towards her room.

She rolled over on her bed as it was being put down in her room, seeing Sasuke sitting upside down on the roof to stay out of the way of clones she said "hey Sasuke-kun, how's it goin?"

He looked at her and smiled, holding up the list she wrote for him "Exactly how you planned Sakura-chan, even your entrance was impeccably timed." He said. Reading 'beautiful woman enters on her bed'.

Sakura laughed cheerily, "Are you calling me beautiful Sasuke-kun?" she said with a smirk.

He returned the look and shrugged, "I guess you're alright." He said jokingly, before pushing off the roof and out of the room to avoid the flurry of junk Sakura threw at him. "Otouto wanted to go to the Shinobi library before dinner, so if you hurry we might be back before nightfall." He shouted over his shoulder for her to hear.

Sakura frowned and looked at the closest Naruto, which was placing down the last piece of furniture before the material things came in, "Do you think I'm beautiful?" she asked with puppy eyes.

The clone raised a brow, "I'm just a clone, I don't think." It said before walking out and yelling down the stairs, "Oi Boss! Do we think Sakura-chan is beautiful?" "Did she ask you that?" Naruto yelled back. "YEAH" the clone replied, "In that case say yes really meaningfully and get back to work, it should be sufficient enough."

Sakura frowned and buried her head under a pillow when she felt a hand on her shoulder, looking up she saw a different Naruto that was hanging her posters up. "I think your beautiful Sakura-chan, just ignore the other clones, they're messing with ya." It said as it got back to work.

Sakura smiled and said "thanks Naru-nii!" as she ran out the door and towards the two male gennin.

Another clone nudged the one that cheered up Sakura, "Nice save, I thought she was gonna mope all day." It said. "hahaha thanks!" the other said back.

* * *

"Ready!" Sakura said as she leapt out of the front door and landed in front of her teammates.

Naruto smiled to her, "Finally, let's head off!" he said and the three started walking towards the Shinobi library.

Sakura realised she didn't know what they were looking for, so she asked "What are we looking for when we get there?"

Sasuke smirked at her, "Naruto wants to learn that mist jutsu that Zabuza used on us. I'm thinking we all should get an area effect jutsu; they are handy in ambush situations and as a distraction. What do you think?" he said.

Naruto was about to say something when he heard a loud gasp then a small squeal. He looked down the alleyway they were passing and saw a guy in a black full body suit harassing a blue haired girl. He was about to ask the man to step away when he realised the girl the cat-suited man was about to force himself onto was Hinata, his rage spiralled.

"OI Step away from Hinata!" he ordered gripping the guy's wrist tight enough for them to hear a small crack.

The guy pushed Naruto off him saying, "Buzz off kid, I want something sweet before the Chunnin exams and this hyuuga is looking awfully tasty." He said, his disgusting grin showing off the war paint on his face.

Naruto grabbed the guy's shoulder and slammed him into the opposite wall of the alley way, unsealing one of his shuriken and slamming it into the wall around his neck. "Back. Off. Now." Naruto said with a snarl.

Naruto suddenly heard something rushing at him from down the alleyway, he turned to see a wind wall flying at him. Naruto smirked and made a single one-handed sign before blowing the wind wall back with his _wind style: great breakthrough._

He heard a girl shout in shock, then suddenly she was slammed into the wall next to Naruto's captive. Sakura's hand around her neck, gauntlet partially activated only covering her hand.

Sasuke stepped up behind his teammates and pulled Hinata to her feet, "Are you ok Hinata-san?" he asked, his eyes scanning for any other possible threats.

"y-yeah Sasuke-san," she stuttered staring at the three in shock. "h-he grabbed m-my arm, and h-he pulled me in he-here.. i-I was s-scared."

Sasuke nodded in response. Sakura noticed the two ninja's headbands, "Sand Village ninja? I'm guessing you're here for the Chunnin exams then?" she asked.

Sakura loosened her grip on the girl's neck so she could answer, "yeah we are, I didn't mean to attack you, I thought you were attacking my brother so I wanted to defend him."

After hearing the girl's explanation, Sakura dropped her to the floor. She got to her knees gasping, "Seriously Kankuro? You tried to force yourself onto a hyuuga? Are you insane?" she asked.

Kankuro was too afraid to move, he was stuck in a death glare from Naruto. Whose eyes were slitted and flickered between red and blue. "p-p-please, let me g-go. I swear I'll leave just don't kill me!" he cried out as Naruto's killing intent washed over him with the combined power of Naruto's hatred and Zabuza's bloodlust.

Sasuke pulled Naruto off Kankuro and spun Naruto towards him, "Naruto! Stop this now!" he said staring into Naruto's eyes with his Sharingan, trying to calm him with hypnotism. It wasn't working.

Sakura placed her hand on Naruto's arm, his head whipped towards her "Naru-nii, Hinata needs you." She said to him.

Instantly the killing intent disappeared and Naruto's eyes returned to his normal blue, he turned to Hinata who was crouched behind Sasuke, and looked scared for her life.

Naruto bent down to her and embraced her in a hug, "You're ok Hinata, I've got you." He whispered to her over and over again.

Sasuke wrenched his brother's shuriken out of the wall, letting Kankuro fall to the ground. "I will escort you two to the Hokage. You WILL cooperate or I will kill you. Am I CLEAR?!" he ordered with his Sharingan blazing.

"That won't be necessary." A voice said from the mouth of the alleyway.

Everyone turned and saw a red-haired kid glaring at the two sand ninjas, "these are my teammates. I will take them straight to our sensei for disciplinary action." He said.

Kankuro and the girl stood against the wall, just as scared as he was when Naruto held his life on a whim. "Gaara, please don't over react, we'll come with you to Baki-sensei-" "Temari, Shut up or I'll kill you." The small redhead said before walking away from the alleyway, his teammates following after him.

All members of team seven surrounded Hinata and pulled her from the alleyway. "Are you ok Hinata?" Sakura asked.

Hinata, who was still in Naruto's arms continued to shake. "i-i-i-I think s-so S-Sakura-san."

Naruto pulled Hinata tighter into his grasp, which she huddled into searching for protection from the horrifying experience she almost experienced just moments before. Far too scared to be embarrassed about the proximity.

Sasuke looked around and then leaned forwards, "Hinata-san, would you like us to take you home? Or something we can do for you?" he asked trying to see her face.

Hinata nodded, "h-home p-please." She mumbled into Naruto's chest.

Naruto held Hinata tightly as the four made their way to the Hyuuga household. Sasuke and Sakura had taken positions just in front of Naruto and Hinata, and slightly to the sides to keep defence at it's maximum.

They arrived at the compound without incident; Hinata's grip had loosened a little now that she was out of the situation.

Sasuke approached the hyuuga guardsmen, "We need to see Lord Hiashi Hyuuga." He spoke with more authority than he deserved, bringing out his Uchiha pride.

The guards didn't respond, but the one on the left hit the gate twice. Causing them to be opened from the inside, a hyuuga member with a seal on his forehead walked up to the gate. "Request?" he asked.

Sakura stepped up next to Sasuke, "We need to talk to Lord Hyuuga about an incident concerning Hinata." She said.

The guard considered the two in front of him without taking any interest, but when he saw Hinata's shivering form his eyes widened. "Right away," he said before turning and running into the compound. A full minute later, he came back panting. "Hiashi-sama will see you now, follow me please."

The four followed the hyuuga branch member to an office deep in the compound. He paused at the door.

"Enter." Hiashi's voice echoed from inside.

The branch member bowed and slid the door open. Allowing the gennin to enter, Hiashi sat doing paper work. A frustrated scowl was the only thing that flawed his illusion of perfection. "What is this about my daughter?" he asked without looking up from the sheet he was currently reading.

Sasuke and Sakura sat down on a mat while Naruto crouched, holding Hinata to him.

"….father?" Hiashi looked up at the sound of his daughter's voice. Only to see her looking at him from Naruto's arms.

He dropped the sheet he was holding and stared at Hinata, hiding his concern under a face of passiveness. "What is wrong Hinata? Why are your….friends, accompanying you to this meeting?" he asked scanning the faces of team seven.

Sasuke, who knew proper protocol for visiting with a higher clan elder bowed his head before sitting up and talking clearly, "Lord Hiashi, my name is Sasuke Uchiha of team seven. I wish to relay what has happened to you if you'd let me. I'm afraid Hinata-san may not be comfortable talking about such an…event."

Hiashi nodded at Sasuke's behaviour, but frowned slightly at the Uchiha's words, "..Go on then Sasuke." He said.

Sasuke bowed again before continuing, "We of team seven were on our way to the Shinobi library in hopes of learning an area effect jutsu before the exams tomorrow, when my teammate Naruto Uzumaki heard something taking place in an alleyway we were passing. Unfortunately, what he heard was Hinata about to be sexually assaulted by a foreign ninja." Hiashi clenched his fist so tight his knuckles where showing through his skin a blaring white, "we intercepted the assault and diffused the situation, afterwards Hinata seemed to take the most comfort in the arms of Naruto, so as a team we escorted her here in hopes of you receiving and looking after her. That is all sir." Sasuke finished with another bow.

Hiashi stared at him, and then looked at Hinata's face. She was asleep, but still crying and holding onto Naruto's shirt as if her life depended on it.

Hiashi stood, frightening the gennin a little. "I sincerely thank you team seven for returning my daughter to me safely. I owe each of you a great debt." The three gennin where surprised to be promised a debt from the Hyuuga head. "You may leave, except you Naruto. I would like to talk to you."

Sasuke and Sakura bowed once more before leaving the room to wait outside. Hiashi turned his glance to Naruto. "I see you still haven't released my daughter Uzumaki-san." He said.

Naruto returned the look and simply said, "She hasn't asked me to sir."

Hiashi stared at Naruto from his place standing behind the desk. "I assume these foreign ninja are here for the Chunnin exams Uzumaki-san?"

Naruto nodded, "it appeared so sir." He said, slightly nervous about being around such a powerful man.

Hiashi walked around his deck and crouched in front of Naruto and the sleeping Hinata. "Naruto, I know what you hold inside of you. I know about your parents. I know about your secret jutsu." Naruto's eyes widened in shock. "I could ruin you if I want, I need you to know that."

Naruto nodded, scared for what may happen. "but the question is, do you know about everything?" Hiashi asked.

Naruto met the look of Hiashi, "Hiashi-sama, I have never known anything about my parents." He said quietly.

Hiashi frowned, "I thought so. In that case I will make a deal with you." He said.

Naruto's brow raised, "Deal?" he asked.

Hiashi stood up and began to walk behind the desk, "I want you to kill the ninja that tried to violate my daughter, and in return I will tell you all about my teammate. He was your father." Hiashi finished sitting down behind his desk. "Do we have a deal?"

Naruto smirked at Hiashi, "I thank you for this opportunity Hiashi-sama, but I must be honest with you. I planned to kill him already." He smiled.

Hiashi returned the smirk, "the Hyuuga need powerful allies Naruto-san. Will you be one of them?"

Naruto stood up, picking Hinata up bridal style. "I will be whatever I need to be to keep this village safe."

Hiashi nodded, "just like your father." Hiashi took Hinata from Naruto's grasp, "I wish you luck for the exams Naruto-san." He said placing Hinata on a large mat next to his desk, and pulled a sheet out from the cupboard and draped it over her. "I will talk to you afterwards."

Naruto bowed before walking out of the room and meeting up with his teammates. Together, they walked out of the compound.

Once they left and the gates closed behind them, Sakura let out a huge breath. "That was a bit nerve racking." Sasuke nodded with a grunt "Hn."

The gate opened again and a hyuuga branch member ran out, "Excuse me? Hiashi-sama said you three wanted area effect jutsu, and his informants had enough about you to find what fits your style best. So, here you go." He said handing each of them a scroll.

Naruto smiled, "Thanks."

The hyuuga bowed and ran back inside the compound.

Sasuke smiled, "Sweet. This ended up well." He said.

Naruto cheered, "Yeah! Let's get some dinner and go learn these jutsu!"

Sakura smiled, "If you guys wanna help me shop, I can cook us something?" she said.

Both boys smiled widely, "Let's get going then! Your cooking is great Sakura-chan!" Naruto said.

The three started jogging towards the local market. Intent on being prepared for the Chunnin exams.

* * *

Mayoshi sat in his wheelchair, on the balcony that hung from his and his wife's room. His wife had just headed to bed, leaving him to wait for his visitor.

Hearing someone land crouched on the railing to his left, Mayoshi turned and met the eyes of a serious Naruto.

Naruto lowered from the railing and bowed to Mayoshi, "Good evening Mayoshi-san." He spoke quietly.

Mayoshi nodded back, "Hello Naruto-san, what is it you need to speak with me about?" he asked politely.

Naruto looked at Mayoshi for a second in consideration. "I informed Sakura about my status with the fox. I want to know your opinion before I tell you hers."

Mayoshi's eyes widened in shock, "She knows? And she still plans to live with you and Sasuke?" he asked.

Naruto nodded, "Yes, I consider her family. And she knows I would never harm those I care about."

Mayoshi smiled at Naruto, shocking him slightly. "I always hoped my girl would see the difference I do. Look after her Naruto-san. I know I can trust you." He said turning back to his room.

A sudden mist blew over the area and Mayoshi turned to see Naruto's grinning face disappearing into it.

As soon as it came, the mist was suddenly gone and Naruto disappeared along with it. "I swear on my Nin-do Mayoshi-san. I will look after Sakura-nee-chan." His voice echoed on the empty balcony.

Chapter end


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter ten: Chunnin exams! Mental torture and the forest of death!

"Equipment check. Naruto?"

"Giant shuriken, stock: 40, Check! Kubikiri Bocho, Water seal filled to capacity, Check! Survival equipment, Check! Standard stock, Check! All accounted for here sensei!" Naruto replied to Kakashi.

"Sasuke?"

"Kusarigama, Check! Sealing equipment and backup, Check! Survival pack, Check! Emergency sealed weapons, Check! Standard stock, Check! Ready sensei." Sasuke replied in response to Kakashi's inquiry.

"Sakura?"

"Full Gauntlets and expansions, Check! Serum capsules, Check! Prisoners hold equipment, Check! Standard stock, Check! Soldier pills, Check! All set sensei!" Sakura cheered.

Kakashi looked over his team one more time, "I know you three can get through this easily, just remember if you're in a tight spot, you can trust your teammates. Good luck." Then he disappeared in his signature poof.

The team smiled at each other and started heading towards the tower, putting on the act they had planned out for themselves. They transformed into their old outfits, hiding the significant changes and weapons.

Sasuke led the team through the doors and up to the second floor where two Chunnin were halting the progress of people getting into room 301, the first exam room. Sasuke barely spared them a glance before leading the team up to the next floor. "It was a Genjutsu. Let's hurry before anyone else notices." He whispered as he continued to the REAL room 301.

Seeing the door, Naruto walked to the front of the group and kicked the door open loudly, gaining the attention of everyone. "Wow look at all the gennin! Yuck! What's that smell?" he said acting obnoxiously loud.

Sakura smacked him on the head pretending to be furious, "SHUT UP NARUTO BAKA!" she yelled making everyone chuckle at the 'useless rookies'

Suddenly the team was approached by team ten, "Sasuke-kun!" Ino yelled as she jumped on his back. "Have you missed me?" she said trying to sound 'sexy'.

Sasuke glanced over his shoulder at her and replied with a dead look. "No."

Ino fell from Sasuke's back in shock, "Don't be silly Sasuke-kun! We are meant to be together! I'm way better than forehead here." She said gesturing to Sakura.

Sakura stepped into her act, "you can say whatever you want Ino-pig," she said before sliding her hand into Sasuke's, "Cause Sasuke-kun and I are together forever." She finished with a smile at Sasuke, which he returned with the same dead stare he gave Ino.

Ino froze in shock. "I think you guys broke her," Shikamaru said from his place against the wall. "anyways, how ya been?"

Naruto smiled at Shika, "We've been pretty good! Training and missions ya know?" he said a bit too loud, making sure everyone in the room thought he was a loudmouth imbecile.

Shikamaru noticed they were acting and narrowed his eyes. "I see your game now. Alright I'll look forward to seeing your teams improvement." He said with a smirk at the half second break in Naruto's act when he spared a glare for noticing.

Choji stood by, munching on his chips 'wow Sasuke must have some incredible willpower to resist Ino… or maybe she isn't as great as I thought she was?' he looked at Ino, who was still frozen in shock at Sasuke and Sakura's interaction. 'nah she's perfect.' Munch munch.

Choji almost jumped in fear when he felt a hand clasp his shoulder, "Hey guys! Looks like this year's rookies are back together aye?!" Kiba said from behind Choji.

Sasuke nodded to Shino who returned the nod and they shared a handshake.

Back in the academy days, Sasuke and Shino always sat together. It was a win-win, the girls would leave Sasuke alone out of fear of Shino's bugs, and Shino got to sit with someone who appreciated the subtle art it took to communicate across species.

A glint bounced off Shino's glasses, "You seem well Sasuke-kun, I do hope you remember the abilities of my bugs yes?" he said, hinting that he could see through the transformation.

Sasuke returned a small smirk, "it's only logical to remember the skills of one's allies." He replied.

Shino's brows rose above his shades, "Allies? I guess it would be suitable to team up. I will inform my squad, we will find you." The two finished their whispered conversation, but just before releasing the grip, a bug crawled from Shino's sleeve on to Sasuke's arm. Sasuke then reached back pretending to scratch his head, allowing the bug to crawl under his headband for safety.

Hinata stepped next to Shika, who was still facing Naruto "H-hello Shikamaru-kun, N-Naruto-kun." She said timidly but without her standard blush.

Shikamaru could feel that something needed to be said between the two, "hey Hinata, excuse me guys, I'm gonna talk to Choji," he said taking the few steps needed away from them.

Hinata looked to Naruto with a timid smile, "th-thank you so much Naruto-kun, for yesterday I mean." She said, her stutter fading out of her speech.

Naruto grinned back, "No need Hinata-chan, I couldn't just let one of my precious people be harmed." He spoke.

Hinata's eyes widened and she finally gave in to the blush that was crawling up her face, "P-Precious p-people?" she asked with thinking 'he called me –chan!'

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, Hiashi-sama told me some things after you fell asleep. I think we'll be spending some time together after these exams. Besides, you were always nice to me at the academy." He finished with another grin.

Hinata timidly smiled at Naruto and hugged him around his chest, "Arigatou Naruto-kun." She whispered as he hugged her back.

"No problem Hinata-chan." He whispered.

"Hey you rookies should really keep it down!"

At the sound of another person's voice, everyone stopped their chatter and turned to a silver haired gennin with glasses.

Kiba shook his fist at the new guy, "Why should we listen to you asshole!" he said quite loudly.

The new guy shifted his glasses, "my name is Kabuto, dog breath. And if you don't shut up, these guys will kill you." He said gesturing over his shoulder.

The rookie nine turned and noticed the glares a lot of foreign Shinobi were giving them, and the disappointed look in most of the Konoha nin.

Naruto could feel Hinata shaking from the killing intent that was being directed at them, so he did the one thing he could without blowing his cover. Letting go of her, he stared into her eyes for a moment before stepping onto a nearby desk that was among the group. "MY NAME IS UZUMAKI NARUTO! AND I'M GONNA BEAT ALL OF YOU!" he yelled, drawing every glaring ninja's attention to him alone.

Sasuke smirked at Naruto's ingenuity 'I guess I'll tell him about Hinata when we finish the exams, he's gonna need all the concentration he has to fight off these goons.' He thought.

Kabuto tapped Naruto on the shoulder, "Umm, maybe you should get down from there." He whispered. "How can I get you guys to shut it?" he mumbled to himself.

Shikamaru saw his opportunity, "you obviously have experience with the Chunnin exams. Tell us what you know and we'll be quiet." He said.

Kabuto sighed and then chuckled, "Fine. I'll take pity on you, anything specific you need to know? Cause I have a fair bit of information." He said pulling out a deck of cards.

Sasuke raised a brow, "And those are?" he asked.

Kabuto smiled, "These are my Ninfo cards, or Ninja information cards. Over the years I've stockpiled a considerable amount of information on just about every gennin of every major village."

Naruto's look hardened slightly without anyone noticing, "Tell me what you know about the team from Suna." He said.

Kabuto smiled, "umm which one?" he asked

Sakura caught on to Naruto's train of thought, "The team with Gaara, Temari and Kankuro on it."

Kabuto nodded, "Easy enough." He said pulling out a card and sending chakra into it.

Kabuto read from the card, "They are team thirteen under their Jonin sensei Baki, the three of them are the children of the current Kazekage and each specialise in their own field. Temari is a wind specialist, mainly attacks from long-range. This caused her Taijutsu skills to drop quickly since she never practices with them. Gaara is a sand user? Never heard of that before, this says he's the finisher of the team. No known weaknesses are listed. Woah, apparently he's never been injured on a mission! And they've done a B-rank together, that's unbelievable!" he paused in awe.

Naruto partially dropped his façade and glared across the room at Kankuro. "Tell me about Kankuro. Now." He ordered.

The sudden change in persona was noticed by many of the contestants, most of them thinking 'I wonder what that sand kid did to piss of the orange wonder.' While others noticing that the previous persona was an act thought, 'maybe this kid is something to look out for.'

Kabuto nodded and read the rest from his card, "Kankuro's a puppet user, specialising in poisons and infiltration. His Taijutsu is sub-par and Genjutsu non-existent, but he knows several puppet related Ninjutsu." He finished.

Naruto nodded and not a second later, the front of the classroom disappeared in a puff of smoke, soon revealing the arrival of a Jonin and several Chunnin. "SHUT UP MAGGOTS! YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE TO FIND YOUR SEATS OR YOU'VE FAILED STARTING NOW!" the Jonin yelled as nametags poofed into existence on each desk in the room.

Sasuke was lucky, his desk was the one situated right next to him. Sakura found her desk near the front of the room and Naruto was pulled into his desk last second by Hinata, "You're here Naruto-kun." She said without a stutter.

Naruto smiled in appreciation, "thanks Hinata-chan!"

"MY NAME IS IBIKI MORINO, AND FOR THE NEXT HOUR I AM YOUR KING! YOU WILL OBEY MY ORDERS OR YOU WILL FAIL!" ibiki roared from the front of the class room.

Naruto zoned out looking around him at all the Chunnin that were now sitting around the room staring at each of them, barely paying attention to Ibiki's words, 'blah blah ten questions, something about cheating yadda yadda kicked from the exams blah blah blah his mumma is a hippie.' Naruto thought.

Ibiki slammed his hand on the desk out the front, and yelled "BEGIN!" this got Naruto's attention.

He sat up straight in his chair, looking at the paper that was placed in front of him at some point. 'huh?' he thought reading the questions. 'how am I meant to answer these? They're ridiculously hard!'

Luckily, the Kyuubi heard him. "**These guys seem to know the answers, you want me to tell them to you?" **he said talking about Zabuza and Mizuki.

Naruto sighed in relief, 'thank the log you guys are in my head, hit me!' he thought back to the Kyuubi.

Over the next forty minutes, Naruto was able to answer all the questions but one the mysterious tenth question with the help of his tenants. 'Sweet, I know I've passed now. But I could've sworn he said ten questions, where is it?' he thought turning the paper over and having a look. Only now noticing the room was much emptier with teams being pulled out because of talking 'not here, I wonder if he'll answer my question' he thought raising his hand and yelling "Yo Scarface!"

Everyone's concentration was broken and all looked at him in shock, "what's happening with the tenth question again? I kinda zoned out." He said calmly, pretending not to notice the glare that was being sent his way.

Ibiki said, "Two points deducted from Naruto Uzumaki, I said no talking. If you'll wait ten minutes you'll get the answer anyway."

Naruto shut up right away, 'shit, I totally didn't hear anything about these points. I better just sit and wait.' He thought.

Ten minutes later Ibiki yelled 'PENS DOWN!" everyone dropped their pens in fear.

"NOW LISTEN UP! The tenth question will be an all or nothing draw, you either get this right or you don't. But you have a choice, to take the question or not." He said.

Kiba yelled, "That's stupid! As if we'd choose not to take it!"

Ibiki smiled at the boys confidence, "oh really? Wait until I give you all of the rules mutt!" Kiba sat down frowning at the insult.

"If you choose to take this question, and fail. You will be forbidden from taking the Chunnin exams ever again!" Ibiki yelled, scaring all the gennin into silence. "Well? Anyone wanna drop out?"

The moment Ibiki said this, many people put their hands up and left the room, muttering in annoyance.

Naruto looked around and noticed three things. One; Sasuke and Sakura were confidant with their chances, they weren't moving. Two; Shikamaru had extended his shadow to hold Ino and Choji still and three; the boys of team eight weren't going anywhere.

He turned back to Hinata with a smile on his face, only to notice she was about to raise her hand.

He quickly grabbed her hand in his own and held it under the table, "Hinata what are you doing? He can't actually do that, as if the Hokage would allow the progress of his ninja to halt. He's trying to scare us." he explained quietly while other teams continually left the room.

Hinata blushed as they held hands, "o-okay I trust y-you Naruto-kun." She whispered back.

Eventually the majority of the gennin left, leaving only eighteen teams behind, meaning fifty four gennin stayed.

Ibiki cleared his throat, "Are you guys sure you want to take this question?" the gennin nodded at his question. "Then you all PASS!" he said laughing, the tension left the room immediately.

Temari stood up in shock, "What about the tenth question?!" she yelled, confused and angered.

Ibiki continued to laugh and was about to launch into an explanation of the nature of his test, when suddenly a woman jumped through the window and hung up a banner that she quoted, "Introducing! The sexiest kunoichi in Konoha! Anko Mitarashi! Proctor for the second exam!"

Anko looked around the room at the stunned silent gennin, "Hmmm? Pretty good Ibiki, though you could've done much better." She said.

Ibiki pulled the banner aside as he stepped forward, "you're early Anko." He said with a sigh.

She winked over her shoulder at him, "whatever! I'm gonna take them now!" she said turning back to the gennin. "Alright maggots! Follow me to training ground forty four! This is where the fun begins!" she said leaping out a different window, smashing it's glass.

The group of gennin followed after her on the way to the next test.

* * *

"Little boys and girls, I welcome you to the Forest of Death!" Anko announced as she waved her arm at the forest behind her.

All the gennin looked at the massive and dark forest, most of them in awe at the sheer size of the trees, others in fear.

"You will be spending up to five days locked in here, your mission: to reach the tower in the middle of the forest with both of these scrolls. You may continue as long as you have a scroll of each kind, be it for a whole team or an individual whose team has been killed." Anko said holding up a heaven and an earth scroll with a deadly smirk on her face.

"What about food?" Choji yelled,

Anko frowned, "You're a fucking ninja! Find it yourself!" she said

Anko looked for an opportunity to intimidate the crowd, but she couldn't find one so she shrugged and moved on. "I will call out your team and village, when I do come behind this and receive your scroll from some Chunnin." she said stomping on the small cover she was sitting on. Which a Chunnin stuck his head out of, waving another set of scrolls in the air.

"After you get your scroll, go to the gate they assign you. Good luck little gennin, I hope you know that Jonin have been killed behind this fence so there's an incentive to pay attention to your surroundings." Anko said with a smirk, "Now first team…"

* * *

Team seven stood in front of their gate, now out of sight from everyone else. "Who should hold the scroll?" Naruto he asked holding up an earth scroll.

Sakura spoke up, "Everyone would think we either left it with our strongest member, or our weakest since most people would expect the strongest to have it. So I'll hold onto since everyone still thinks Sasuke-kun is infallible and Naru-nii is the dead last." Naruto passed the scroll to Sasuke, who sealed it in a piece of paper he just wrote a seal on.

Sasuke passed it on to Sakura who stuck it in her shirt, between her bra and chest where no-one would think to look for a full sized scroll.

Sasuke told the team his news, "I either made a huge mistake, or a grand plan."

Sakura and Naruto looked at him in confusion. "Well I let Shino place a bug on me, which means he can track us. If he has an earth scroll like us then we can work together to find heaven scroll teams. But if he has a heaven, well they can track us anywhere in the forest." He explained.

Naruto shrugged, "Well, why don't you squash the bug?" he asked.

Sakura frowned, "because the opportunity for teamwork is a huge advantage. And realistically I think we could defeat team eight easily." She said.

Sasuke nodded, "Exactly. So I guess we're just gonna wing it and hope for the best?" he asked, not really liking the plan.

Naruto smiled, "I guess so, this'll be interesting to say the least."

Suddenly, Anko's voice blared from a nearby speaker. "Alright maggots! You have five seconds until the gates open starting from five seconds ago…what are you waiting for?! GO!"

The gates opened up, and team seven dove into the forest. Planning for their first encounter.

* * *

…

….

….

….

"well this is boring" Naruto stated.

Sasuke turned from his place laying on one of the giant spruces, watching the night sky. "It wasn't very likely we would run into a team on the first day anyway otouto." He stated.

Sakura rolled over, now facing the boys' branches from her own, "Yeah Sasuke-kun is right. Let's get some rest and we'll start early tomorrow." She said before rolling back out of view.

Naruto sighed, "Alright, I'll have watch tonight." Naruto drew his sword from under his disguise and sent chakra into the seals Sasuke had placed on the circle in his blade, water started to slowly flow out of his blade and drip onto his branch.

"Water clone jutsu!" he said, the water from his blade took form and smiled.

"Orders?" it said.

"Just keep watch and wake me when you're about to run out of chakra, I'll fill ya up and then get back to sleep. Got it?" Naruto replied.

The clone nodded and sat on the edge of Naruto's branch. Already starting it's job.

Naruto lay down and thought, 'clones sure are useful…' and off into dreamland he went.

* * *

"Wake up." Naruto's clone said as the sun rose.

Naruto sat up and yawned, "Can you get Sakura-nee for me? I'll get Sasuke." The clone hopped onto Sakura's branch and Naruto threw a stick at Sasuke, it hit his forehead waking him up.

"FUCK!" he yelled jumping to his feet ready for combat.

Sakura heard his yell and woke up with a jolt, colliding her head with Naruto's clone splashing his water on her body. "WHAT THE HELL?!" she yelled.

Naruto appeared next to her, Sasuke dragged along. "Guys, ninja are meant to be quiet. Now we gotta get moving before a team finds us." he said completely serious, ignoring the fact he was the reason they woke up in pain or soaked.

Naruto stabbed his sword through the puddle that was his clone, the water was absorbed into the seal instantly.

Sasuke stood and pulled Sakura to her feet, he placed a seal on her and sent chakra into it. "Warmth." He said simply, suddenly she was dry and felt like she just took off an eskimo hoodie.

"Let's go." He continued before jumping to a lower branch that was suitable for travel.

Sakura and Naruto nodded and followed him.

..

…..

* * *

Hours into their travelling, Sasuke noticed three chakra signatures ahead of them travelling towards the team's right. "We got an incoming team, will be at our two o'clock in one minute."

Naruto smiled, "Can I suggest a strategy for this one?" he asked the team's strategist and brains, Sasuke and Sakura.

Sakura smiled, "Sure Naru-nii, what'd you have in mind?"

Naruto held up a hand sign, "Delta type, Strategy one." He said with his smile growing.

Sasuke smirked, "It'll work, two of them look to have lightening chakra, the third water. So it's most likely they're from the lightning village." He replied.

Sakura grinned, "Let's get started then!" she said as she dove straight into the ground with her mastered _head-hunter jutsu._

* * *

A team of three lightning nin were jumping through the forest, completely lost.

"This is the first time I've wished there was more trees in lightning country." The only girl said, "We have no idea where we're going!"

The tall blonde guy turned to her, "Way to be positive about the situation. Maybe we should take a break and calm down?" he asked.

The third member nodded and all of them jumped to the ground. As soon as they landed, a light mist started to roll in. "oh man, maybe we shouldn't have come down from the trees." The blonde guy said.

The girl shook her head furiously, "No way! I'm sick of leaves, besides its just some fog who cares?" she said furiously.

The mist got thicker, allowing the three to still see each other but not any further than that. "This is kinda creepy," blondie said, "Think this is part of the exam?" he asked turning to his quiet blue haired teammate.

The blue dude just shrugged.

The mist was now thick enough that although they couldn't see each other fully, their silhouette was still clear.

"ok this is really creepy, it must be that Anko lady's doing." The girl said, looking around.

The blonde and the girl heard something, and turned towards their third teammate. Whose silhouette just shrugged.

Blondie sighed, "Really weir-" and suddenly, his head was pierced by the blade of a Kusarigama.

The girl screamed and ran to her blue haired teammate blindly, "We're under attack!" she yelled. Suddenly her teammate's silhouette reached out slashed the girl's throat with red claws. She fell to the ground, clutching at her throat in shock and pain before drowning in her own blood.

The mist lifted to show Sakura standing on a patch of disturbed earth, her claw dripping with blood. Sasuke landed next to her, ripping his blade from the dead nin's head.

"Clear otouto." Sasuke said while frisking the bodies, trying to find their scroll.

Naruto landed next to them, "Worked out perfectly!" he said happily.

Sasuke managed to find the scroll in the girl's weapons pouch. "Got it, it's another earth scroll." He said, passing it to Sakura. Who sealed it into the seal she already had on her while frowning.

"Well that's annoying." She said.

A second later, a HUGE wind blew through the forest blowing the unprepared Sakura away.

"Sakura-nee-chan!" Naruto yelled in shock.

Sasuke spun in the direction the attack came from, his Sharingan blazing with two tomoe in one eye and three in the other. "I can see you! Come out!" he yelled, glaring at a young woman who stepped out from behind a tree.

She chuckled darkly, "kukukuku, what good eyes you have Sasuke-kun. They will be put too much better use when they're mine!" she said, jumping towards Naruto and Sasuke and attacking them with Taijutsu, not giving them time to draw their weapons.

Sasuke ducked under a punch, only to get kneed in the face. He flew back and slammed into a tree, Naruto slammed next to him a moment later.

"Fuck! What the hell is this chick?" Naruto said in frustration.

She smiled at them both, "Kukukuku, so this is the demon child? I will easily destroy you both, so why don't you give me what I want?" she said waving over to them with one hand.

Sasuke scowled in determination. "We won't hand over our scroll!" he said whipping his kusa at the girl.

She side-stepped the toss and looked at the weapon in curiosity, "Hmm, it's not often I come across a ninja that wields such an uncommon weapon." She turned back to the boys only to have her face crunched inwards by the ball of Sasuke's weapon.

She was thrown away into the foliage as Sasuke pulled his weapon back to him. "Otouto! Arm yourself now!" he yelled.

Naruto nodded and unsheathed his sword, holding it in his right hand and a shuriken in his left. As soon as Naruto looked up, he saw a fire projectile flying at them.

Naruto dove in front of Sasuke, halfway through a spin, his blade swinging behind him, knocked the small fireball aside. He completed his spin and threw his shuriken right through the approaching girl's stomach with a shout of effort, "HAAAA!"

The two halves of the girl fell to the ground and suddenly took the form of mud. "A mud clone?" Sasuke exclaimed in shock, "But when did she?" suddenly Sasuke felt a presence behind him. He started to spin around, raising his arm to block when his arm was bitten by the girl right on the top of his bicep, "AAAAAAAHHHHHH!" He yelled in pain as he fell to the ground, unconsciousness taking over him.

Naruto turned to Sasuke only to see him falling to the ground, knocked out. "ANIKI!" he yelled, swinging his blade at the girl. She stepped back to dodge the blade, but it was longer then she thought. This miscalculation earned her a slash across her face. "Damn." She said as she leapt away from Naruto.

Naruto glared at the girl only to gasp in horror as 'her' face suddenly fell away revealing another face underneath. "wha-what the fuck?" Naruto stuttered out.

The 'girl' pulled the rest of her face off and sneered at Naruto, "Good job boy, you are certainly strong. A perfect opponent for Sasuke-kun, my name is Orochimaru, I sincerely hope you enjoy my little gift for him." Orochimaru said as he suddenly melded with the branch he stood on.

Naruto re-sealed his blade and picked up Sasuke, "shit! What do I do?" he said holding Sasuke bridal style.

"Naruto!"

He turned to see Sakura landing next to him, "what happened?" she asked staring at Sasuke's body.

Naruto started shaking, "I'm not sure honestly. We were attacked by some Orochimaru guy, he beat us off easily and gave Sasuke a painful hickey." He said scared that Orochimaru would come back to finish them off. "What happened to you Nee-chan?" he asked looking at the blood that covered her body.

"I'll explain in a sec, we need to find a suitable shelter until Sasuke recovers." She said as the started walking from the area, "I passed a good spot on the way here, reactivate your transformation and follow me."

Naruto nodded and activated the technique, causing him and Sasuke to appear as they had in the academy before following Sakura through some of the forest. After ten minutes of walking they stepped into a clearing.

"Over here!" Sakura called to Naruto from under a large tree.

Naruto walked over and crawled under the tree into an area that looked like then abandoned den of a large animal. He placed Sasuke down on the ground and rested Sasuke's head on the pouch Sakura settled underneath.

Sakura looked at Naruto, who was still shaking in fear. "Naruto, I think you need some sleep. I'll take first watch okay?" she said placing a hand on his shoulder.

Naruto looked at her, "Nah I'm fine nee-chan!" her grip on his shoulder tightened, "ow ow ow !ok I need sleep and all that let go!" she did so with a smile.

Naruto lied down next to Sasuke, using his weapons sheath as a pillow. "Gnight Nee-chan, wake me if you need me ok?" he said.

She smiled and nodded, "Of course Naru-nii. Get some rest." She said quietly and rubbed his forehead.

He closed his eyes and smiled, "..mk." he mumbled. Soon he was off to sleep. Breathing deeply.

Sakura took her hand from his head and smiled at the two sleeping boys, 'when did this happen? I've always loved Sasuke-kun, but now I can't imagine my life without Naruto either. They really have become part of my family..' she finished the thought looking at Sasuke, who was sweating heavily.

Sakura frowned and swapped her pack for Sasuke's so that he still had a pillow. She flicked through Sasuke's seal collection, reading the labels he put on the back of them Sakura found the 'cooling' seal. Sasuke made it for when one of them had a fever or a burn, it insulated the person's body to cool them down.

Sakura sent chakra into the seal and placed it onto Sasuke's forehead after she removed his forehead protector. He seemed to calm down slightly and his furrowed brow smoothed out a little bit.

Sakura sat back and looked at the two trap seals she was holding, 'better time than any I guess.' She thought as she grabbed some and walked out of the shelter.

* * *

The next morning came and Naruto woke up with a wide yawn, "Neechan?" he asked looking around.

"Yeah Naruto?" a voice said from outside, Sakura poked her head in through the entrance. She looked exhausted.

Naruto's eyes widened in shock, "Did you stay up all night?" he asked.

She smiled and nodded, "Yeah, I had to keep watch. Umm by the way, I noticed Sasuke's kusa isn't on him like usual.." she trailed off tiredly.

Naruto looked at Sasuke and noticed his weapon was gone as well, he suddenly remembered that Sasuke would've dropped it and recalled he had used one of his shuriken and didn't grab it after. "Shit! It must be where we fought Orochi-teme." He looked back at the tired Sakura, "Could you stay up for another fifteen minutes? I can go grab the stuff we left behind and be back by then, maybe a little longer.." he asked.

Sakura nodded, "Sure nii-kun. Go ahead" she said as she ducked back out of their cover.

He followed after her and went to leave when she grabbed his hand. "Wait, I set a some area traps the only safe way out is to climb up the tree and then leap over the clearing, you have to make it over halfway, or you will regret it." With that said, she let him go.

Naruto nodded and ran up the tree before taking as big a leap as he could, he cleared the field and landed in the shrubbery. He smiled back at Sakura before running towards the previous battlefield.

Sakura smiled at Naruto's back and closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, she saw movement on the opposite side of the clearing Naruto left from. It was three ninja.

The tallest one smiled, "hehe finally a good opportunity, listen girl we have a mission to kill the Uchiha kid. If you move aside, we won't rough you up too much." He said leering at her body.

"Shut up Zaku," the hunched over guy said, "Just kill her and let's get on with it before that other guy gets back."

Zaku turned to the hunchback and said "Don't order me around Dosu! That's what we have her for" Zaku said gesturing to the girl of the team.

She glared at Zaku, hatred obvious in her eyes but at the same time, Fear was just as apparent.

Dosu chuckled and pushed her forward, "Take care of the girl Kin. We'll enjoy the show now, or you'll give us another one later." He said continuing his dark chuckle.

Kin nodded nervously, but steeled her nerves and pulled out some senbon "You're going down pinky" she said before charging at Sakura.

Sakura stood up straight and activated the first trap tag with a chakra pulse. Kin stepped on the tag which suddenly expelled an incredible amount of upward force, throwing her into the air.

Zaku and Dosu's eyes widened, "What the fuck?" Dosu said before beginning to charge at where Sakura was, only for her to disappear in a burst of speed and appear in mid-air above the still screaming Kin.

Kin looked up to see Sakura send a kick at her chest, which she barely managed to block. But the force of the kick sent her flying straight at the ground. The moment she impacted, Sakura sent out another chakra pulse to activate the seal under kin.

It erupted in lightning, sending hundreds of volts through her, forcing her into unconsciousness.

The two boys of the sound team glared at Sakura in anger and shock as she landed back in the position she started in. "Well boys?" she said with a smirk.

Zaku returned the smirk and aimed him palms facing Sakura, "_Decapitating air waves_!" he announced, a funnel of wind blades flew from the holes in his palms directly at Sakura.

Sakura dodged to the side with her _shunshin_, still getting cut on her leg once. In response to his move, Sakura sped towards the two with her chakra skating technique.

She appeared in front of Zaku, her fist pulled back to deliver an uppercut. As she swung, Dosu threw his arm in front of the punch, Sakura's fist impacted his gauntlet sending out waves of sound into her body.

Sakura tried to jump back only to be disorientated from the sound, she fell to her side and struggled to get back up, 'Shit! What do I do now!' she thought, looking up at the two boys who were now smirking in victory.

Zaku pointed a palm at her, "Goodbye, _Decapitating Air Waves_!" he launched the attack at her point blank.

She closed her eyes expecting to feel pain; instead she felt a strong grip and a light breeze. She opened her eyes to see two HUGE eyebrows on the face of the well-known student of Konoha's Taijutsu master.

"Rock Lee?" she asked in shock.

He nodded as he placed her down next to the tree Sasuke was in. "I refuse to let my comrades be harmed!" he yelled as he turned to face the confused sound nin.

"I am your opponent now!" he said and shot towards the two in a burst of speed.

Lee's fist hit Zaku square in the nose, launching him into the forest. Lee turned to hit Dosu when a sound wave impacted his chest, "Gotcha!" he yelled in victory.

* * *

Zaku stood up from his place amongst the ferns and was about to sprint into the clearing when he was punched in the back of the head and his head was pinned to the ground with the blade of a massive sword. He looked up to see Naruto smirking at him, "You know, I'm training to become a wind user as well. These arms of yours would be very handy." He smirked

Zaku was about to shoot air waves at Naruto when Naruto grabbed his forehead and yelled "_Soul drain!"_

Zaku screamed as he was forcibly absorbed through Naruto's palm.

Naruto stood up and admired his palms which painfully transformed to accommodate the new air tubes. Naruto also felt the pain in his legs, meaning that Zaku must have had tubing there as well.

Naruto picked up his blade and sheathed it under his transformation, then started running towards the clearing where he heard a loud crack and a scream of pain.

* * *

Back in the clearing, Sasuke had woken up. His curse mark now covered the left side of his face and his left arm. He grabbed Dosu's ankle and kicked his thigh, snapping his knee and pulling the leg out of its hip socket. "AAAAHHHH!" Dosu screamed in pain as he fell to the ground.

Sasuke turned away from Dosu and picked up lee, "Thank you for saving Sakura-chan." He said as he placed lee down next to Sakura.

Lee smiled up at him, "Of course Sasuke-san, I couldn't just let a comrade be killed." He said before passing out next to Sakura's unconscious body.

Sasuke stood and turned to glare at Dosu, who was crawling away feebly. "Trying to run away?!" Sasuke screamed in fury and stomped on Dosu's shoulder, shattering the joint completely.

Dosu cried out in pain again, "AAAHH!" he rolled over and Sasuke planted a foot on his chest.

Sasuke smirked in amusement, "You don't seem so strong now do you? This is why you don't hurt what's precious to me." He said putting more pressure on Dosu's sternum.

A recently awakened Kin stood up behind Sasuke and looked at the defeated Dosu in shock, 'they killed them? They'll never hurt me again…I'm saved.' She thought happily.

She was about to move towards Sasuke when Naruto appeared with his arm wrapped around her neck, his bone blade inches from her jugular. "Drop all your weapons or I will slash your throat." He said calmly.

Sasuke turned his torso to look at Naruto, "Hey otouto, I think I may have a problem with this tattoo that girl gave me." He said with a dark looking smirk.

Naruto returned the look, his own look being that of a killer. "Wanna take out the trash?" he asked Sasuke.

Sasuke looked back at Dosu, "Sure," He said as he pushed his foot down, Dosu's ribs snapped as they plunged through his heart and lungs. The bandages on Dosu's face turned red with his blood, and then he fell silent.

Naruto was about to slash kin's throat when he saw tears of happiness fall from her eyes. Naruto frowned and spun her around, throwing her at his feet between himself and Sasuke. "Why are you so happy? You just watched your teammate die." Naruto said with raw emotion in his now red slitted eyes.

Kin looked between Sasuke and Naruto, a smile still on her face, "You saved me, they can't hurt me again...never again." She murmured, now glaring at Dosu and hugging her body protectively.

Sasuke's eyes widened in realisation. "I will take her as my prisoner. Naruto, I think we just saved this girl from a life of torture. The same kind Hinata almost received from the puppeteer." He hinted quietly.

Naruto's eyes returned to their normal blue and widened in shock, "They did…that to their own teammate?" he asked, eyes wide. Sasuke nodded and tried to force the curse mark to recede.

He grunted in effort, and slowly the marks shrunk back to the seal on his arm. He fell to his knees in exhaustion. "Oh my Log, that's painful." He whispered.

Naruto pulled Sasuke and Kin to their feet, "I've got you two, have a rest." He said as he laid them down next to the unconscious Sakura and Lee.

Kin fell asleep instantly, the stress of the situation finally crashing down on her. Sasuke sat against the tree.

Naruto smiled and pulled Sasuke's kusa from his belt, "Think you may want this aniki." He said and passed the weapon to Sasuke, who just grunted in response with a small smile "Hn."Before he wrapped his weapon around his torso, and under his transformation technique.

Naruto turned back to the body of Dosu, 'well that Zaku guy didn't have it, so maybe this guy does.' He thought frisking the corpse.

Naruto found a heaven scroll in Dosu's pouch, "Yes!" he said. "Now we got a full set and a half!"

"in that case we'll be taking your heaven scroll."

Naruto spun around to face the person who spoke, it was a Hyuuga.

"Neji don't" lee said sitting up slowly, "Naruto-kun just helped save my life."

This made the two gennin in the tree pause, "Lee we need that heaven scroll to pass." The girl next to Neji said.

"I believe I have a logical solution." Everyone turned to the new arrival, Shino stood with Kiba and Hinata flanking his sides. "I believe team seven has two earth scrolls and a heaven scroll, my team has two heaven scrolls and your team obviously has an earth scroll. I conclude the three of our teams should band together to make it towards the tower safely in exchange for an equal sharing of our scrolls." Shino spoke in his near monotone.

The girl next to Neji smiled, "I like the idea, what about you guys?" she said to Neji and Lee.

Lee loudly proclaimed, "YOSH! It is a most youthful idea!" while Neji nodded in agreement.

Kiba turned to team seven, "You guys?" he asked with a grin.

Naruto nodded with a grin while Sasuke smirked, "We agree, although we have to carry these two, so can you guys act as a guard squad til we get there?" Naruto asked.

The girl nodded, "sure thing! My name is Tenten by the way," she said jumping down and landing next to Lee.

Naruto smiled to her, while picking up Kin on his back. "The names Naruto, it's nice to meet ya." He said while a grin.

Sasuke picked Sakura up onto his back and stood next to Shino, who reached towards him. A small bug flew from Sasuke's hair onto Shino's hand, it crawled up his sleeve.

"May I suggest a formation?" Neji said gaining everyone's attention. "Hinata-sama's team at the front," the way he said Hinata's name was filled with hatred, "using their tracking abilities to keep the way safe. Team seven and prisoner in the middle and my team taking rear guard. Is that acceptable?"

Sasuke nodded, while Shino replied for his team "It is logical."

With that, the teams traded their scrolls and headed towards the tower.

* * *

"Whew! That was cool!" Naruto said as they walked into the room in the tower late at night on the third day of the exam.

A recently conscious Sakura walked in next to him, "Yeah, except for the glaring from Neji at Hinata-chan. What was with that? I thought they were family." She thought out loud.

Sasuke trudged in, Kin unconscious on his back. "How did I get stuck with her?" he said glaring at the writing on the wall.

Naruto smiled, "You did say she's 'your prisoner' that means she's you baggage." He replied cheerfully.

Sasuke didn't answer, instead reading the giant poster. "I think we have to open the scrolls." He said.

Sakura raised a brow, "huh? Why?" she asked turning towards the poster and reading it for herself, "Oh. I get it."

Sakura pulled the secret seal out from her top and unsealed their set of scrolls. Together, her and Naruto opened them.

Sasuke looked at the seal work in interest, before his eyes widened "Throw them away now!" he said.

They threw the scrolls away, as smoke began to flow out from them. The smoke swirled together and suddenly, Iruka was summoned in front of them. "Wow, you guy made it on the third night! Good work." He said with a smile.

Naruto smiled and hugged him screaming, "Iruka-sensei!"

Iruka laughed, hugging Naruto back. He looked at the other two and noticed Kin on Sasuke's back. "You caught a prisoner?" he asked.

Sakura nodded, "Her teammates were killed, so we thought she could use some help." She could bullshit a story pretty well it seemed.

Iruka bought the story and nodded, "Alright, I'll take her to the medical wing to get treated before returning her to you guys. Any of you need medical attention?" he asked.

Sasuke smirked, "we're good sensei." He said confidently.

Iruka smiled at the trio, "well here's a map of the tower, your room will be room 24C. That's on the third floor, just past the cafeteria. Other information is on the back alright?" he said.

The team smiled at him, "Arigato sensei!" they said in unison before running off to explore the tower.

Iruka smiled after them, "these kids sure are something amazing." He said before exiting through a different door with Kin in his grasp.

* * *

Naruto woke up on the fourth day of the second exam and glanced around.

The room team seven had been staying in was a two room apartment. The main room had a bed for each of them, but Naruto gave his to Kin when she arrived late the night before, he slept on the couch.

Opposite the couch was a small kitchen that connected to a bathroom, which only had a simple shower and toilet combo, it seemed sufficient enough.

Naruto sat up on the couch and stretched, his joints cracked a few times. 'ooooh my back! I should've just slept on the floor.' He thought as he finished putting his joints back in place.

Naruto stood and yawned, then moved to the door to grab his stuff. 'guess I'll get some breakfast.' He thought as he quietly left the room, now fully equipped.

After a few steps in the direction of the cafeteria, Naruto realised something, 'oh right,' he thought as he reactivated his transformation jutsu to appear as he had in the first exam room. Continuing his walk, he noted that he felt heavier again. 'my weights must've upped themselves again, I wonder how much they weigh now.' He smirked at the thought, 'I may be extremely good at swordplay, but when I lose the sword and deactivate my weights, I might be as fast as Sakura-nee without her chakra skating thing.' He thought as he stepped into the small cafeteria.

"Naruto-kun! What a youthful person you are for being awake at such an early hour!"

Naruto looked over to the overly-exuberant voice to see Lee sitting down at a table he shared with an extremely tired looking Tenten and Neji.

Naruto smiled and walked over to them, "Mornin guys, wow you two sure look tired…did you stay up all night..." he smirked evilly, "..together?" he said suggestively to the tired members of team Guy.

The two woke up completely, "No way Naruto-kun! Even if I did like Neji that way, as if he'd let me. And during the exams no less? Bah!" she ranted, switching between showing the emotions of nervousness, sadness and then pissed off at the end. "I think he's completely asexual anyway." She mumbled softly, the others barely heard it.

Neji flushed red in rage and stared at Tenten in shock, "What was that Tenten?" he asked, seeming more than a little pissed off.

"AAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Naruto laughed while Lee held in his laughter, barely.

Neji turned his glare to Naruto, "Shut up Uzumaki." He said sternly.

It did nothing to calm Naruto down, and finally lee burst into laughter as well, "HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!" they yodelled in unison, falling from their chairs.

Neji's face turned to Tenten, extremely enraged. "See what you've done? Just because I've ignored your advances you spread word that I'm some kind of freak?" he nearly roared.

The emotions in the room suddenly turned from happy and joking, to serious and a more than a little dangerous. Naruto looked at each of the people in the team and noticed a few things odd. Lee seemed be about to take action for some reason, Tenten was watching Neji in fear and Neji himself was clenching his fists, glaring at Tenten with his enraged eyes.

Naruto sat in silence and realised Neji was not the best teammate. He quickly thought of a way to diffuse the situation, or at least turn Neji's rage away from Tenten. "Geez Neji, it seems like you are trying to cover up another secret….your gay aren't you?" he asked with a challenging smirk.

Neji's glared turned to Naruto and his Byakugan activated, Neji's teammates cringed away. 'This must've been some kind of threat,' Naruto thought, feeling Neji's weak killing intent.

Naruto met the glare with a grin, "You call that killing intent?" Naruto said, his eyes turning red and his grin becoming slightly feral "I think you're trying to do this." And suddenly Neji fell back from his chair and crawled backwards.

From Tenten and Lee's point of view, Neji started to freak out for no reason. But with Neji's eyes he could see much more.

Neji couldn't look away from Naruto's slitted eyes and yet he could see a demonic face floating over Naruto (Zabuza's demonic killing intent) and a red toxic chakra slowly crawling across the table, coming from Naruto's hand. His intent was so powerful, Neji was on the verge on pissing himself. He was slipping in his own sweat and felt as though he was being choked.

Suddenly it disappeared and he could breathe again. He met Naruto's bored eyes and saw a light hearted blue. "Geez Neji-chan, weren't you the rookie of the year last year? I expected more." He said with a challenging smirk on his face.

Neji stood up, shaking a little. "Uzumaki, I will destroy you during these exams. Fate won't accept you making a mockery out of me!" he said as he turned and marched from the room.

Tenten and Lee looked at Naruto in shock, "Wha-What just happened Naruto-kun?" Lee asked.

Naruto shrugged, "I just focused some of my killing intent at him, since he did so to me I thought it was fair." He said as he took Neji's breakfast for himself, "I thought he'd be more of a man then that." He finished, taking a bite from his food.

He looked at Tenten, only now noticing the bruises she sported on her arms and the one hidden by the make-up on her face. She realised he was staring and tried to look away when he grabbed her hand over the table, "Ten-chan, don't let him hurt you again." He said staring into her eyes.

Tenten met his stare, 'ten-chan?' she thought even more shocked than before.

Lee suddenly jumped onto the table, "THAT WAS THE MOST YOUTHFUL THING I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE! A YOUNG MAN DEFENDING A WOMAN AND WINNING WITHOUT ENGAGING IN CONFLICT! SO MUCH YOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUTTTTTHHHH H!" he screamed, echoing his thoughts throughout the whole tower.

Naruto rubbed his ears in pain, "By the name of log, what the fuck Lee?!" he said, pissed off.

"Ah there you are Naruto-kun." The three children looked to one of the doors in the cafeteria to see Hiruzen Sarutobi walking in.

Tenten shot to her feet, "Hokage-sama!" she said as her and Lee bowed to him.

Naruto waved to Sarutobi, "hey Jiji, you want some grub?" he said casually, shocking the other two gennin with his lack of respect, Tenten was about to comment when she was interrupted by a chuckle from the Hokage.

"Good morning you three, I'm so glad you all made it to the third section of the exam. Although it was unfortunate that errant explosive tag destroyed your teams target's scroll Tenten, the rest of that battle was quite exquisite." The Hokage said with a smile, now standing at the head of the lunch table where the children sat at. Tenten blushed, not knowing that the Hokage was watching.

"Umm Thankyou Hokage-sama."She said with a light blush due to the compliment on her fighting skills. 'At least I think it was a compliment' she pondered the thought.

Hiruzen turned to Naruto, "There are a few things I saw during the exam that I need to talk to you about Naruto. Could you gather your team and meet me at the office located on the top floor?" he asked Naruto.

Naruto nodded and engulfed the last egg from his plate, "Sure thing Jiji, I'll go get them now. You want Kin-chan as well?" he asked.

The Hokage's eyes widened, "Chan? How close are you two Naruto?" he asked in return.

Naruto hopped to his feet, "Not at all really, but you told me to be polite to strangers Jiji." He said with a smile.

Sarutobi smiled in return, "That's nice of you Naruto, but the medic that saw to her said she'll be unconscious until the last day of the second exam at the earliest so it will be unnecessary." He responded.

Naruto nodded, "Meet you up there in ten!" he said as he started walking towards the door and back to his team's room.

Sarutobi smiled at Naruto until the doors closed behind him. Then his face turned serious as he faced Lee and Tenten, "I noticed some other things as I watched the teams interact throughout the exams, I want you two to know if you have any problems concerning your teammate, you may apply to have him checked up. A psycho-analysis if you will." He said as Tenten averted her gaze and Lee nodded seriously.

"Hokage-sama, I think I speak for myself and Tenten when I ask for some lenience with Neji. We know why he acts like he does, it's because of the seal on his head. Is there any way you could demolish it's unyouthful uses?" lee said seriously.

The Hokage frowned, "I have been trying to get rid of that monstrosity since I first learned of its uses, unfortunately the only way I could persuade the council to ban it would be for someone with the seal to complain about its uses. But that won't happen because they're all afraid their seal will be activated, or those of their family." He said, explaining the situation to the gennin.

Lee nodded while staring at the table, "Alright then Hokage-sama. Then I request the analysis for Neji-kun to take place on the day after these exams."

The Hokage nodded at Lee's request. "I will order it to be done." He promised.

The Hokage then smiled to the two, "On a lighter note, I am sure you two will venture far in these exams. Lee, may I suggest you also pick up using a ninja tool in the future? It may give you an unexpected edge against those that underestimate a Taijutsu only ninja." He said before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Tenten got up from her chair, "I agree with Hokage-sama, let's find you a suitable ninja tool Lee!" she said happily.

Lee nodded with a smile, "YES! I WILL LEARN THE WAYS OF THE MOST YOUTHFULL WEAPON I CAN FIND! AND IF I CANNOT DO THAT, I WILL RUN ONE-HUNDRED LAPS AROUND THIS FOREST ON MY HANDS! AND IF I CAN'T DO THAT, I WILL-"

*SMACK*

Lee was interrupted when a club collided with his skull, sending his face through the table and into the ground beneath.

He looked up to see Tenten standing with the club over her shoulder, "Stop it, or else I won't help you find a suitable weapon." She said.

Lee jumped up too his feet, all signs of injury gone. "Let us go Tenten!" he said grabbing her hand and running to the nearest training arena.

* * *

Sakura yawned and leaned on Sasuke, the two now had reactivated the transformation jutsu to appear as they had in the first exam.

Sasuke raised a brow at the tired Sakura, "You're enjoying this a bit too much." He said.

She turned her head and looked into his eyes, "Why are we still pretending Sasuke-kun? You know how I feel about you, and it's obvious you feel something much more than friendship for me.." she trailed off, not sure how to continue.

Sasuke's eyes widened at the implication of Sakura's words, "Sakura-chan.." he whispered.

Their eyes met and they stared at each other for a few seconds, slowly inching closer..

"HEY GUYS JIJI NEEDS TO TALK TO US! HE SAID IT WA-AAAAA!" Naruto yelled as he appeared in front of them, before being catapulted back down the hallway he came from thanks to Sasuke's kick and Sakura's fist.

Sakura glanced at Sasuke, who looked back at her and gave a real smile, 'dammit Naruto-nii! You ruined the most perfect moment in existence!' Sakura thought angrily while returning Sasuke's smile 'wholeheartedly'.

Naruto walked back in front of them, wheezing in and out. "Ouch, that was painful" he mumbled.

Sasuke pulled Naruto up straight, "What were you saying Hokage-sama wanted?" he asked.

Naruto smiled up at his teammates, "He saw what happened in the forest, he needs to confirm a few things." Naruto explained.

"How did he see that?" Sakura asked with a raised brow.

Naruto looked to Sakura as if she was a moron for not knowing something like that. "And you're the smart one?" he asked before dodging a fist, "it was probably his orb thingy jutsu."

Sasuke deadpanned at Naruto, "It's his all-seeing orb jutsu. The orb made by the first Hokage, it's so Hokage-sama can look out at the village through any leaf that resides in a twenty mile radius from its location. It's one of the reasons Konoha's defence is so good, the Hokage can look into an enemy's outpost and analyse all their weaknesses."

Sakura and Naruto looked at Sasuke blinking, before glancing at a leaf that blew around the corner.

Naruto whispered to his teammates, "Let's hurry! He's in the tower, top floor."

The other two nodded, and together they ran off in search of their leader.

* * *

Iruka tilted his head into the doorway, "Hokage-sama, Team seven is here to see you." He said.

The Hokage sat up and smiled to Iruka, while waving over the exam proctors. "Let them in Iruka-kun."

Iruka nodded and stepped to the side, letting the three gennin walk in.

Naruto was about to wave hello when Sasuke and Sakura yanked him into a bow by his arms. "Good Morning Hokage-sama." Sakura said for the whole team.

The Hokage chuckled at their antics, "Good afternoon team seven, I see you all had a good sleep in." he said while gesturing to the clock on the wall, which said 1:30pm.

The Jonin in the room were smiling as well, then a sickly looking one coughed while gesturing to the chairs that were set-up for the gennin, "Pleas have a seat," he said before coughing.

The gennin sat down and Naruto smiled at the Hokage, "What's up jiji?" he asked.

Sarutobi smiled, "one thing first. Proctors, can you see anything odd about these three?" he asked wisely.

The three Jonin looked at team seven curiously for a moment before Ibiki's eyes widened, "They're under a transformation, and a damn good one too." He said.

The other two Jonin's eye's widened, "Damn, these kids are good I didn't even notice. But that means you guys had them activated the whole exam!" Anko said in shock.

Sarutobi smiled at the pride team seven was displaying, "Sakura, why don't you explain since it was your idea," he said.

Sakura sat up straight and looked at her teammates, they all nodded and de-activated their techniques. Seeing the Jonin's stunned reactions, the team's smiles increased. "You see Hokage-sama, the only person that we know of that has seen our new look is a sand team and Hinata-san, although Shino picked up on it. So most if not all of team eight know that we were hiding. The reason we did this is so that everyone will underestimate us as if we were just rookies, so now we got the drop on pretty much all the teams in the exam."

The Jonin nodded, "deception is vital for ninja, and a true aspect for Chunnin to understand." Ibiki said with a smirk.

The Hokage nodded, "Sasuke, could you tell us about your fights to obtain the scrolls you had upon entrance to the tower?" he requested.

Sasuke nodded and leant deeper into his chair, "The first team we came across was a team of lightening ninja. We did a four step plan of ours, Naruto would distract the team with his area jutsu, in the cover of the jutsu, Sakura would stealthily make her way among the team. Then I would take out the one furthest from Sakura's position in an attention grasping way, causing the person between myself and Sakura to pay attention to the dead teammate allowing Sakura to deliver the final blow. It worked exactly as planned." He said with his Uchiha smirk.

Anko smiled, "That is exactly like an Anbu strategy for team assassinations, I'm impressed." She said.

The Hokage nodded, "And the next battle?"

Sasuke's look darkened, "Naruto should explain this since he was the only one in the area conscious the entire time." He said, obviously ticked off at the thought of the fight with Orochimaru.

Everyone turned to Naruto, "Umm ok then, well soon after we finished the first confrontation, we were completely blind-sided by someone that appeared to be a single gennin from grass. They used a wind jutsu to blow Sakura away from Sasuke and I, then 'played with us' as 'she' kept saying. Eventually, Sasuke and I were about to pull out our ultimate destruction combination. But she appeared behind Sasuke and went to bite his neck, luckily he moved but she still managed to give him a funky hickey on his arm. I freaked out because it knocked him cold constantly, so I attacked with my blade, the enemy underestimated it's length and I managed to cut through 'her' face. that's when I can honestly say this shit was fucked." Sakura flicked his ear, "OW! Nee-chan what the hell?!" he yelled.

Sakura frowned at him, "No swearing in front of Hokage-sama." She scolded to the amusement Ibiki and Hayate. Anko and Sarutobi on the other hand where listening with intense concentration.

Anko interrupted the team's argument and the Jonin's chuckling, "Show me your arm Sasuke." She demanded about to step passed the Hokage's temporary desk to Sasuke.

Sarutobi held her back, "It is what you think Anko, though I believe there is more to be told first. Be patient." He ordered. Anko clenched her fists and stepped back into position behind the aged kage.

"As you were saying Naruto?" the Hokage said with a smile.

Naruto nodded, "Well I cut off her face, to reveal the snake sannin Orochimaru." The other two Jonin froze in shock at the news as Naruto continued, "He left after that, and I was left alone for a moment with Sasuke's unconscious body. Luckily, the brains of our team arrived, and when Sakura suggested we find cover, we made our way to a place she had found on her way back." He finished and nodded for Sakura to take over.

"I lay these two down for rest and using Sasuke's seals, I was able to do so much better AND set up some decent traps. The next morning, Naruto was up and we agreed he should go reclaim the equipment the team had expelled. But as he did that, the team from sound attacked which is how Kin-chan joined our troop. I subdued her and then went on to attack her teammates, but I had no clue of their sound equipment. It caught me off guard and if Lee of last year's team nine hadn't arrived, I would more than likely be dead. Lee then rushed the stunned sound duo and separated them, that was the last I saw before I passed out…" she trailed off remembering a blurry Sasuke appear with a dark aura.

Sasuke coughed silently, gaining the attention of the others in the room. "I had woken up to see Lee get hit by an attack that almost instantly knocked him down for the count. I didn't think I would be able to help but, I was wrong. In an instant I was by Lee's side, moving him next to Sakura for safety. I rushed the oto nin and dodged his attacks with my Sharingan, then I was able to pin him down. That's when Naruto appeared." Sasuke ended his part with a nod towards Naruto.

Naruto smiled, "I had returned with the stuff we left behind to see the nin Lee had flung from the clearing land, we engaged for a moment and then I finished him with my special technique. I entered the clearing to see kin-chan standing up behind Sasuke-nii, I thought she was going to attack him so I stopped her. Sasuke finished his opponent, then we realised Kin was thankful for being free of her 'teammates' if they could even be called that." He finished with a dark frown.

Seeing Naruto had finished talking, Sakura finished "That is when teams eight and nine converged on our position, and we were able to team up and make it to the tower safely."

Sarutobi nodded, "Alright, I must say that is amazing. Alright proctors, I will handle it from here." The three Jonin nodded and left the room, although Anko did so with a frown.

Once the door closed, "Not much more now, Sakura, what took you so long to return to your team when Orochimaru was attacking them?" Sarutobi asked.

Naruto and Sasuke turned to Sakura in curiosity.

She sighed, "Alright it went like this….

_Flashback_

_Sakura landed with a crash in a river, luckily avoiding a lot of possible damage. _

_She got to her feet and scowled as she stepped back onto land, 'shit! What is happening?! I have to get back!' she thought before hearing a hiss from the riverbank._

_She looked to her left to see a HUGE snake about to chomp down on her position, "EEEK!" she squealed as the snake's mouth closed._

_The snake pulled away expecting to be chewing on its lunch, only to find its mouth empty._

_Suddenly Sakura appeared on its head, "You really think a ninja would go down that easily?" she taunted the snake before jabbing her claws at it._

_She was shocked when the snake's scales were thick enough to completely deflect the damage. 'CRAP!' she thought as she was flung off._

_She landed and rolled to her feet, now in a stare off with the snake. 'no choice then,' she thought as she deactivated the gauntlets on her arms and focused on the new bands on her legs. 'let's see what this baby can do!' she screamed in her head as she focused her chakra._

_The snake pounced on Sakura, quickly swallowing her whole. After it did so, it froze as if to check if it actually managed to eat her. After a few moments of silence, the snake hissed a sigh of satisfaction as it turned to wander off._

_It suddenly stopped as Sakura was standing in front of it, her legs now covered in red and pink boots that looked high tech and caused her to be a little taller (_think Straight Cougar from .ed, but with the part covering her feet being red)

_She smirked, "Well? I thought you wanted to eat me?" she said cockily._

_The snake hissed and exploded into motion, whipping its tail around to strike Sakura. She held her smirk and kicked at the tail, "SHOCKING FIRST BULLET!" she shouted as her foot connected with the snake's tail._

_The impact from the kick was so powerful, it destroyed a cluster of the snakes scales and flung the snake around completely, throwing it into the air._

_Sakura tapped her foot once and disappeared in a speed faster than shunshin, appearing over the snake's wide eyes. She dropped her foot at its face, "ANNIHILATING SECOND BULLET!" she yelled as she connected, caving in the snake's jaw bones and shattering its fangs._

_It shrieked in pain as it fell into the river. Sakura landed on the water, sweat of exertion pouring from her but her smirk was wide as ever. 'I still have one bullet left before I have to recharge, I hope this is over. Or maybe…no better save my last trick for later in the exams.' She thought._

_She looked at where the snake landed in the water and stepped back in shock, the corpse of the snake was actually just its shed skin._

_The snake appeared from under water and actually managed to catch Sakura in its mouth, it slithered onto land and laid for a moment in victory._

_"EXTERMINATING LAST BULLET!"_

_The snake's eyes widened before it's head exploded. Sakura stood among the falling snake remains as she caught her breath, the leg armour deactivated as the weapon needed to recharge. Sakura started walking away, a wide grin on her face. "That's why you don't mess with team seven, we're full of surprises." She said as she started jogging towards her team._

….and then I got there to find Sasuke unconscious and Naruto worn out and in shock. And you know the rest from there."

The remaining three males in the room had their jaws on the floor at Sakura's story.

Sarutobi asked, "m-may I see these bands of yours in action? I've never heard of such a thing before."

Sakura stood up and stepped to the side of the desk and chairs, giving everyone a full view of her body.

She sent chakra into the gauntlet on her arms first, a rainbow glow appeared around the bands for less than a second before the gauntlets phased into existence on her arms, "These are the first stage of my claws, they are extremely sharp and if I channel chakra into the tip of a claw, it will excrete which ever toxin I put in them. At the moment I only have a paralysing agent." She then sent chakra into the bands going down her legs.

The same rainbow glow enveloped the bands, then her legs were covered by the pink and red boots if she stood with her weight on one leg, the other would bounce slightly. "The gauntlets are actually an expansion of the boots, I just happened to find the claws first. These boots are called 'Radical Good Speed', they boost the wearer's movements up to the speed of sound at their most basic level. It also gives access to the three bullet kick techniques. I hope to someday unlock the full capabilities, but I'm honestly not sure if I ever will." She finished with a smile.

The Hokage leaned forward examining the equipment, "This is amazing, you got these from Higurashi-san's shop?" he asked.

She nodded, "Yep, he didn't tell me until I came back to inquire about more equipment. But apparently, these weapons have only connected to one person in the past, and that was Dan's great-great grandmother. He was going to research her exploits for me as congrats for finishing this exam, he's very confident in us." she said before deactivating her weapons.

Sasuke and Naruto sat back in shock, "Damn, I'm glad that Nee-chan is on our side." Naruto said.

Sasuke just nodded in agreement.

Sakura sat in her chair as the Hokage coughed to gain their attention again, "Now Sasuke, I need you to tell me about this 'bite' you received." He said.

Sasuke turned to the Hokage and nodded, "well in all honesty, the best way to describe it is Orochimaru hit me with an incredibly powerful seal, I analysed the seal, and edited it a little." He answered simply.

The Hokage looked at Sasuke in shock, "The cursed seal? You can understand it?" he asked.

Sasuke nodded, "I couldn't remove anything from the seal, and sealing the whole thing wouldn't hold up properly. So I sealed away the portion that held Orochimaru's will and therefore, attraction to power." He explained.

The Hokage thought over what Sasuke said, "But I thought the seal was a part of Orochimaru's power?" he asked.

Sasuke shook his head, "With my Sharingan, by looking at the mark I can see that the three tomoe actually hold one thing each. The first was a portion of Orochimaru's soul; this held his will and personality traits, like his attraction to power for example." At this point the Hokage was stunned silent at the 'novice's' discovery, "The second holds a transference seal, it siphons off ten per cent of my chakra every time I sleep and turns it into a much darker form, thus increasing its potency at the risk of increasing my…darker emotions," he said the last part with a smirk, "And the last seems to contain something physical, but it was sealed with a specific item so I can't unseal what is contained in the third tomoe unless I am in contact of the item used. Any questions?" he said, his smirk becoming a full blown smile.

The Hokage looked on in shock, "Y-you unravelled the Curse seal? Could you do that for someone else?" he asked.

"Easily, it would be much simpler. I could barely see the seal on my body, lucky I managed to get him to accidentily put it on my arm. Otherwise I would never be able to see it directly to change anything." He replied.

The Hokage smiled at Sasuke, "I think I will have you do a mission once you are done with these exams." He said, eyes alight in happiness. Unfortunately, a moment later, Sarutobi looked at the team seriously.

"One last thing before you all go, Naruto I need you to explain your secret technique to your teammates." The Hokage said, stunning the team with his bluntness.

Naruto looked at the aged Hokage with a raised brow, "But I thought you said I can never tell anyone." He said.

The Hokage nodded, "Your teammates are an exception I guess." The Hokage nodded solemnly, thinking there was a possibility that his teammates reject him for basically eating people…kinda.

Naruto smiled, "That's lucky, cause I already told them," he said, shocking the aged kage once again.

He turned to the other two, "And you are ok with this?" Sarutobi asked.

Sasuke nodded, "Why wouldn't I be? His technique has similar traits to my Sharingan."

Sakura smiled as well, "Every ninja has techniques that aren't exactly friendly to their opponents. I mean what do you expect? How could he have learnt all those jutsu and techniques so quickly?" she asked rhetorically.

The Hokage blinked at team seven in shock…again. "You kids….sure are something else. You're excused; I don't want a heart attack. Please leave." He mumbled before resting face down on his desk.

The three gennin sweat dropped at their leader's behaviour, "I think we should leave now," Sakura whispered while her and the boys slowly left their chairs and made towards the door.

As Naruto closed the door behind their exit he whispered "Goodnight Jiji.."

* * *

"Naruto-kun!"

Team seven turned as Naruto's name was called by Hinata.

"How you guys goin?" Kiba asked as team eight approached them.

Naruto smiled, "Pretty good Dog breath, where are you all headed?" he said jokingly.

Kiba returned the smile, "We're going to one of the training arenas, your team wanna join Whiskers?" he asked.

Naruto turned to the other members of team seven, Sakura nodded happily while Sasuke grunted an affirmation.

"Guess that's a yes, lead the way you guys." He answered with a smile.

Shino walked passed team seven and continued down the hallway, the other gennin followed him. Naruto glanced next to him and saw Hinata standing somewhat close to him, Sasuke noticed this and thought the timing was appropriate.

"Team eight, would you like to visit our house for dinner after the exam?" he asked, stunning the other gennin with his sudden question.

Kiba raised a brow at Sasuke, "What do you mean 'our house' you live alone Sasuke.." Kiba trailed off as he realised he was pointing out Sasuke's lack of clan.

Sakura smiled at what Sasuke was trying to do, "Actually we all moved into a house together, it was simply more functional for the team. Also, Naruto and Sasuke can't cook so there is no chance they'd survive without me." She said winking at Kiba.

Shino opened a door and the two teams entered to find an empty arena, "This side of the tower has had no visitors as far as my bugs could tell, but a team from sand entered from the south side. It would be best to avoid coming into contact with a possible rival." Shino stated.

Hinata smiled at Shino, "Good thinking Shino-kun, Sasuke-san I think we'll accept your invitation." She said without any stutter.

Naruto noticed, "Hey Hinata-chan! You didn't stutter at all then!" he pointed out with a smile.

She blushed at the praise, "Y-yeah." She replied.

Shino and Kiba sighed in defeat, 'she finally stopped..' they thought.

Sakura interrupted, "You guys wanna spar?"

At the thought of a battle, Kiba leaped in excitement. "HELL YEAH!"

Shino nodded, "Who shall partner with whom?" he inquired.

Sasuke stood in front of Kiba, "I'll start with Kiba, Hinata and Sakura, Naruto and Shino. We will rotate every twenty minutes. Sound good?" he asked.

Everyone nodded and separated, "Alright, rules?" Naruto asked.

Shino's reply was cut off by the entrance door to this arena slamming open and team ten running in, looking extremely battered and bruised.

Sakura and Hinata were the first to arrive to them, "Are you guys ok?" Sakura asked.

Choji fell to the ground, dropping an unconscious Ino into Sakura's arm, "She….medic….please." he wheezed out before falling unconscious.

The others were about to run over when Shino stopped them, "We aren't allowed to interefere, they must work out the riddle." He stated.

Kiba tried to push past, "Are you kidding? They need help!" he said.

Sasuke pulled Naruto and Kiba back from Shino, "then go get a medic quickly!" the two boys nodded and ran off towards the medical ward.

Shikamaru was staring at the riddle on the wall, trying to concentrate but barely able to see the distance. "Scrolls, open…the scrolls." He said, pulling out his team's scrolls and pulling the first one undone. It started to smoke but Shika coughed up blood and passed out before he could open the second one.

Hinata opened the scroll and yelled, "Hurry!"

Iruka appeared, "Another team?" he said with a smile before assessing the situation. "What happened?!" he asked as he picked up Choji. "Sasuke, grab Shika. Sakura, Ino. Hinata, use your Byakugan to locate the closest medic. Shino, use your bugs to determine whether they are poisoned or weakened from blood loss." He ordered showing the team a real Chunnin's leadership.

The gennin moved into action instantly, Hinata activated her Byakugan. "Naruto-kun and Kiba-kun have made it to the medical ward, the nurses there are setting up bays for these three while two medic ninja are on their way here." She said as the team started to move down the main corridor towards the medic ward.

Iruka nodded, "Great work you four." He said as he moved faster.

The medics came around the corner and started running next to them on the way to the medical ward, "What is their status?" the first medic asked, activating a diagnostic jutsu and running her hands over Choji who was in Iruka's grasp.

Shino pulled bugs back from Shikamaru and Choji, and sent them to Ino. "Choji appears to have nearly empty chakra reserves, Shikamaru seems physically exhausted and damaged ribs, Ino has a healthy amount of blood but is poisoned. Luckily it is one I am familiar with, my bugs will have it out of her system in twenty minutes. Do you have an antidote kit in the medic bay?" he reported to the medic.

She nodded and moved to Ino as they came around the last corner to medical bay, "I will have this team up and active by tomorrow morning, with your quick action they may even be ready for the preliminaries Iruka." She finished as they burst into the room.

The three gennin were placed on a different bench each. "Vacate the room please, Aburame-san please stay and continue to remove the poison." The medic said as she healed the lacerations on Choji's body and gave him a soldier pill.

The door closed in front of the remaining five gennin, cutting off their view of what was happening in the room.

Iruka coughed, gaining the attention of the stunned gennin. "You all worked very hard, it was lucky you were all there. You are true Shinobi, and I'm proud of you for saving your fellow ninja." He said while ushering them to a collection off couches that sat against the wall.

"Maybe you should go back to your rooms, they will be ready for visitors after some rest." Iruka said.

Naruto stood up from his seat, "No! I'm waiting here to see them, they were our classmates and now our comrades. I will be here for them when they need me!" he said stubbornly before sitting back down and folding his arms.

Iruka sighed, "Alright Naruto, you can stay but I'm sure that…" Iruka looked around to see the other gennin getting comfortable. "Your all gonna wait?" he asked.

Kiba nodded, "Whiskers is right, they are part of the pack. Inuzuka always look after their pack." He stated firmly with Akamaru barking in agreement.

Iruka glanced at all the gennin and smiled, "You kids…look after yourselves alright?" a tear of happiness fell from his eye as he turned and walked away to report the situation to the Hokage.

'they're….growing up.. I couldn't be prouder of my ex-students.'

Chapter end


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter eleven: Preliminaries begin.

Sakura woke up with a quiet yawn, looking around she noticed how the now six gennin slept around the room.

Looking opposite her position, she saw Kiba sprawled over half of a long couch, his feet handing off the armrest with Akamaru resting on his chest. Shino sat slightly slumped on the opposite side of the couch, looking almost the same as he would awake except for the lack of sunglasses over his closed eyes.

She looked to her left to see Naruto sitting back on a couch, his head lolled over the headrest as he snored lightly. She realised his henge must have disengaged in his sleep. Hinata lay curled in a ball, her head resting on Naruto's left leg as she slept with a smile.

Sakura smiled at the view of her peace filled friends, 'I wonder how team ten is doing..' she thought when she felt movement on her side.

She looked from her spot leaning on something to see that the 'something' was in fact Sasuke's shoulder. She flushed red when she realised they had slept in each other's embrace the full night.

She looked down and noticed his henge had dropped as well, 'I guess I really do have an incomprehensible amount of control.' She thought with a smile before snuggling up closer to Sasuke and closing her eyes.

A moment later, Shino suddenly stood from his place on the couch and put shades on. He turned his head to Kiba and scratched Akamaru's ear. The dog woke up and yipped in happiness, this had the effect of waking up Kiba and Sasuke.

Sasuke sat up straight but didn't release Sakura from his grasp, "Morning Sakura-chan", he whispered in her ear.

She smiled and mumbled back, "Morning."

Kiba sat up fully as Akamaru jumped onto his head, "What's up Shino?" he asked groggily.

Shino adjusted his glasses, "The insect I left in the room has returned to me, she says Shikamaru is awake, and the other two are stirring as well." He whispered as he turned to Hinata and Naruto, who were both peacefully asleep.

The other three ninjas followed his gaze and let out a small giggle. Shino pulled out a camera and took a photo of the two, shocking the others with his action.

*FLASH*

The camera's bright light woke Naruto and Hinata up straight away, Naruto instinctively pulling out his sword and standing in a battle position in front of Hinata, who was rubbing her eyes at the wake-up call.

Shino had already hidden the camera before Naruto stood up, "Naruto-san, I do believe that is the legendary blade of Zabuza Momochi. How is it that you obtained such a weapon?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Naruto blinked to clear his view and realised that it was just his comrades that woke him, "Oh, umm spoils of war?" he asked in a way that was checking to see if team eight would believe him.

Kiba blinked and realised Naruto's full attire was different, along with Sasuke's, "What the hell? Were you guys under a henge the whole time?" he asked in shock.

Sakura sighed and dropped her disguise as well, "Yeah, it was to mislead all the ninja that would've recognised us as a threat." She explained.

Sasuke stood from his spot on the couch, "Guess there's no point in hiding now." He said.

Shino stealth fully passed the camera to Sakura while Naruto was distracted with sheathing his blade and helping a tired Hinata to her feet. "I want these developed. Hinata will find it if it is in my possession." He whispered softly.

Kiba got everyone's attention, "Yo, Shino says the team is almost up. Let's say hi." He said as he started walking towards the medical wing's doors.

The other gennin got up quickly and followed Kiba towards where team ten was. Arriving at the doors, Kiba and Shino opened them inwards, allowing the other gennin through first.

Sasuke was the first to have a view of team ten, and saw that Choji was awake, eating some fruit that was left between him and Shikamaru. Sasuke approached the two and snagged an apple that had just been knocked out of the basket.

Choji recognised someone ducking down next to his bed, 'well that's weird.' He thought as he leaned over to see who it was.

Sasuke stood up suddenly, only inches away from Choji who leapt back into his pillows from shock. Sasuke nonchalantly raised a brow and took a bite from the apple. "How you feeling Cho?" he asked.

Choji looked on shocked, not realising as Naruto grabbed a banana and sat on the end of his bed. 'I must be delusional, firstly Sasuke doesn't wear an outfit like that, and why wold he care how I'm feeling?' he thought.

Naruto patted Choji's foot, getting his attention "Yo, Choji! How ya feeling?" he said rather loudly.

Choji smiled when he realised he wasn't delusional, 'wow, I really have friends like this?' he thought, his smile turning into a full blown grin. "I'm feeling much better, the nurse said I was just lacking in chakra. But since I have Akamichi blood, I can turn foods that I eat straight into chakra." He said taking a handful of grapes from the basket.

Sasuke took another bite out of the apple he was holding, "Good to know Cho, how's sleeping beauty?" he asked nodding to Shikamaru, who had his eyes closed and was breathing softly.

Choji threw a grape at Shika saying, "He's up. Just pretending."

Shikamaru caught the grape and put it in his mouth before sitting up, "Dammit Choji, I wanted to stay out of the whole team reunion thing. This is so troublesome.." he mumbled as Shino stood at the foot of his bed.

"It would be logical that you explain what occurred in the forest to have hindered your team so badly, I would assume a team from the grass village considering the poison that was found inside Ino." He stated with a monotone.

Shikamaru nodded, "Yeah it was a grass team, they ambushed us. They attacked Ino first, hoping to eliminate her straight away. Choji noticed a kunai with an explosive tag on it and pushed Ino out of the way, he was caught in the blast and hurled a long way away from us. I turned and caught two of them in my _kagemane jutsu_, then activated a tag that I had placed under them just a moment before, blowing off their legs." He frowned and looked a little green at the thought. "Those two just lay screaming for a while, until I….killed them." He stopped talking and sat forward, "Sorry, it was just… I've never killed before, it was hard." He held his head in his hands and closed his eyes.

Feeling someone grab his shoulder, he looked up to see Naruto holding a glass of water to him. Naruto smiled. "The first one is always the hardest, but it helps to think of it as 'you were protecting your team' not 'I killed you cause I wanted to'. See the difference?" he said with a smile.

Shika nodded with a smile, "So I was right, you have been hiding something. It's your whole team right?" Naruto nodded. "Thought so, man this is troublesome.." Shikamaru mumbled as an afterthought.

Kiba barked out, "Umm that doesn't really explain why Ino was poisoned and Choji was running on empty."

Choji stopped eating and glared at the blanket as he clenched his hands, "Their third teammate cut Ino with a kodachi, she naturally fell away to get distance and I think a fair bit of shock. I stepped in and well in all honesty I was…angry." Choji said wearily, glancing across the room at Ino who was sitting up and talking animatedly with Sakura while Hinata nodded along. "They hurt her, so I hurt them." He said in a no-nonsense tone.

Sasuke raised a brow, "So your chakra loss?" he asked.

"Self-induced and totally worth it." Choji replied with a dark grin as he stared at his hands.

Shika looked at Choji in concern, "The only problem is that you won't be able to fight in the prelims today. Ino and I are nearly at one hundred per cent, but you won't be for a few days at the least." He said.

Choji looked up at the gennin around him, "I will at least give it a try, though I can't do many jutsu at the moment." He said a little disgruntledly.

Sasuke passed him another piece of fruit, "Better eat up Cho, you'll need the energy. This exam technically finishes at midday, so we all have about four hours." He said.

At that moment Sakura and Hinata walked over, while Ino wobbly walked between them.

Ino sat on the edge of Choji's bed, "Well I'm ready for it, whatever it is we can handle it. I mean we ARE the first rookies to make it to the third stage in like, ten years." She said as she smiled at everyone around her. "Thanks for taking care of the poison Shino." She finished.

Shino nodded and noticed Choji seemed disgruntled at the lack of thanks he received. "You should be thankful to Choji-san, I wouldn't have been able to help you if he hadn't carried you here. With zero chakra, and after saving your life. Twice." He replied, hinting not so subtly that Choji is a hero.

Ino's eyes widened, "You did that for me Choji?" she asked as she looked at his blushing face.

He realised everyone's attention was on him, as well as the attention of his lifelong crush. "Well, yeah I guess I did." He said nervously smiling at her.

Ino leaned forward and kissed his forehead, causing his whole face to light up. "Thankyou Choji-kun." She said as she hugged him.

Choji grinned and hugged her in return, "hehe, anytime!" he said with a smile.

At that moment, the sensei's of the rookie nine walked into the medical ward, "Well hello everyone, it's good to see you all made it." Kakashi said with an eye-smile.

The gennin turned to their sensei and greeted them, they started amble conversation mostly about the exam. Except for team seven which was oddly quiet.

Kakashi noticed their behaviour and waved them away from the others, "Alright, what's the damage?" he asked immediately knowing something was wrong.

Sakura was the one to reply, "Actually in comparison to all the good things that has happened, it seems extremely miniscule.." she trailed off unsure of how to say it.

Kakashi stood and waited, "Well?" he asked after a moment.

Naruto spoke up, "Essentially, Orochimaru the snake sannin attacked us and gave Sasuke an evil hickey."

Kakashi stared at them in shock, "…..the snake sannin attacked you?" he asked skeptically.

Sasuke nodded and pulled his sleeve up showing the mark, which looked as it normally did but the tomoe were now shaped as a semicircle on top of a cone. "I took care of it sensei, actually I think I may have improved it." Sasuke said with a smile.

Kakashi blinked in shock again, "Does Hokage-sama know about this?" he asked.

The team nodded, "Yep, he said that unless it acts up at all, he'll let me handle it until then." Sasuke said, rolling his sleeve back down.

Kakashi sighed, "You guys…by the name of log, I swear you're the craziest gennin in existence." He said holding his head and bringing his squad back to the group.

As they arrived they heard, "Us Jonin decided you all should do a little physical warm up before the last part of these exams." Asuma said as he lit up a cigarette.

Kurenai grabbed it and stomped it out, "seriously? In a medical centre?" she said angrily.

He sighed, "Fine. Everyone, let's go to one of the arenas." Asuma finished as he walked from the room.

The others followed after him, team ten a little slower than the others but still keeping up.

* * *

The group arrived at an arena at nine in the morning.

Kakashi stepped in front of the group of gathered gennin, "Alright guys, we decided to give you all three exercises each. My first is a simple jog, around this arena…" He stated.

Teams eight and ten smiled and seemed happy with the exercise. Until Kakashi finished explaining it. "..thirty times while tied to your teammates." He said while pulling out six pieces of rope.

There was an awkward silence that was broken by Sakura, "Seriously sensei? We get to do it without the blindfolds?" "SWEET!" Naruto said excitedly.

The teams stared at them in shock while Kakashi started tying the children together, "Well? Why are you waiting? Get started!" he said kicking Kiba to give team eight a head start…they ended up falling on their face.

"I SAID GO!" Kakashi yelled far too enthusiastically.

* * *

"Alright, I think we should head over to the battle arena now." Asuma said as he looked at the gennin who didn't seem too tired, but definitely frustrated.

Ino turned to team seven, who was standing in in a perfect pyramid, Sakura standing with a foot on both Sasuke and Naruto's shoulders…while they were blindfolded…while chakra walking down the wall. "You guys always do these training exercises?" she asked as she stood from her place on the floor.

"Two more steps then we reach the floor boys!" Sakura said as the team walked upright again and pulled off their blindfolds. "Yeah Ino, it promotes teamwork. At least that's what Kakashi sensei says." Sakura fell backwards into the grasp of Naruto and Sasuke, then they flipped her around til she landed on her feet perfectly. "I'm not entirely sure I believe him." She said jokingly, flaunting the teamwork skills of team seven.

Ino was about to retort when she was interrupted by a voice over the speakers, "ATTENTION ALL PATRONS OF THE BUILDING…cough, cough…WOULD ALL PATRONS PARTICIPATING IN THE CHUNNIN EXAMS REPORT TO…cough, cough… THE MAIN ARENA." The voice cut out with a round of coughs.

Kakashi clapped, "That's our queue, everyone follow me." He said lazily as he walked out of the current arena and into a hallway that connects them all, the others followed him.

* * *

Naruto looked up at all the people in the room as the rookie nine entered. The Hokage stood with the first two exam proctors by his sides and the Jonin sensei of each team next to them. He stepped forward as team seven got into formation behind Naruto. "Hello gennin of the Stone, Sand and leaf villages! I would like to congratulate each of you on getting this far, but as some of you may know. The third section of the Chunnin exam is one on one battles. These battles will take place in front of a large crowd to show off the power off our three villages, that means we have to keep these battles interesting, and unfortunately for you all. We simply have too many gennin here."

The Hokage's statement wasn't taken well, many of the gennin started to murmur in confusion until Kiba yelled out, "So some of us are just gonna be kicked out?"

The Hokage was about to continue when suddenly, the sickly Jonin appeared in front of him in kneeling. "Hokage-sama, may I handle this from here? Cough cough." He said.

The Hokage nodded and stepped back, "Go ahead Hayate-kun." He spoke gently.

Hayate spun from his kneeling position and stood tall, "Cough, hello everyone. Umm my name is Hayate and I'll be the referee for some preliminary battles we'll have right now." He said ending with a cough.

"Preliminaries?" a Stone gennin asked.

Hayate nodded, "Yes, cough cough. This will half your numbers and provide us with the perfect amount of people for entertaining and well-timed matches." He said, once again finishing with a cough.

"If you'll all make your way to the balconies, we can get started. Anko?" he said as the gennin made their way to the viewing balconies.

Anko nodded and spoke into a headset she wore, "Open it up!"

Everyone looked at the screen that became visible on the wall, "This screen will randomly sel-Cough cough, select the matches. But first of all, is there anyone who wants to quit now?" Hayate asked scanning the contestants.

"I will, I can barely function as it is. I'm not ready for a battle." A voice said from the back of the group.

Naruto looked over his shoulder to see a hunched over Kabuto with his hand in the air. Hayate looked at a board he held in his hand, "Alright, Kabuto Yakushi. Dismissed." He said, for once not coughing.

Kabuto left the room limping, while holding his ribs. 'wonder what happened to him..' Naruto thought as he turned back to Hayate.

Hayate gestured to the screen, "Let's get started I guess, cough cough." He said as names a list of names started being run through around a 'VS.'

The names stopped, showing the first two combatants. "Would Shikamaru of the Leaf and Moegi of Stone please come down." Hayate said.

Shikamaru let out a groan, "Oh man, I have to fight a girl? What a drag.." he mumbled as he hopped over the railing and fell to the ground.

Moegi leapt down with a flip, "What was that? You think girls aren't worth fighting?!" she said angrily.

Shika raised a brow at her obvious rage, 'this is way too easy.' "I didn't say it, you did." He stated with a bored expression, increasing her anger.

Hayate stepped back waving his hand, "Begin!"

The girl got into a battle stance expecting something to happen…she was wrong.

"Geez, even your stance is weak." Shikamaru said with a yawn, not even bothering with getting into a stance.

Moegi growled, "I'LL SHOW YOU!" she screamed as she pulled out a kunai and ran at the lazy Nara, completely abandoning any tactics.

Shikamaru watched her approach with a calculated gaze, 'three…..two…one….NOW!' he thought before falling backwards dodging the swipe and pulling Moegi over him.

She impacted the ground and rolled onto her back as Shika flipped back onto his feet. Suddenly, she realised she couldn't move, "Kagemane success." Shikamaru stated.

"What did you do?!" Moegi yelled from the ground.

Shikamaru just raised his left arm in front of him as if he was holding something, Moegi copied the movement, now holding her kunai above her neck. "If I open up your hand, you will release your kunai and gravity will do the rest, allowing it to plunge into your neck. I apologise about what you thought I meant. In all honesty, women scare me. I have a banshee of a mother and a gossip teammate that will gladly hurt me. So I want to clear this up, I was taunting you and it worked. Give up or die." He stated as he lifted one finger up, thus causing her to start releasing her blade.

Moegi's eyes widened as she realised something vital to her survival, 'Oh my god I was played the whole time!' she thought.

Shika released one more finger, "I GIVE UP!" Moegi yelled with her eyes closed.

Hayate nodded, "Winner, Shikamaru! Cough cough" he said.

Shika moved the kunai away from her and released the jutsu. "You should focus on holding back that rage. Then you might've beaten me." He said as he walked away from the aggravated girl.

She sat up with a frown and sheathed her kunai, 'dammit, stupid leaf ninjas' she thought as she walked up to her team with a frown on her face.

Hayate coughed again, drawing everyone's attention to him. "The next match."

The screen once again ran through random names before stopping. "Lee of the Leaf and Misumi of the Leaf, please come down."

Lee leapt down and landed in a fighting stance, "Let our flames of youth explode!" he yelled to Misumi was standing opposite him.

Misumi raised a confused brow, "Umm sure, I guess." He said.

"Begin!" Hayate stated before moving away.

"YOUTH!" Lee yelled as he sprinted at Misumi with incredible speed.

Misumi stepped back in shock before relaxing, suddenly Lee's fist impacted Misumi's chest.

"What the?" lee said as Misumi's body seemed to have changed into rubber to absorb the blow.

Misumi chuckled, "I can dislocate every joint in my body and use my chakra to stretch to any length and move my innards around to avoid any damage and do things like THIS!" he finished with a yell before swinging his arms around Lee and locking his upper body in place. "Now DIE!" he yelled as he began to squeeze.

He expected to hear a crack or at least a yell of pain, "It is unfortunate for you comrade, it appears as though you just aren't stronger than me. Therefore you cannot overpower me!" Lee said as he pushed back and spun, now facing away from Misumi and allowing the arms to wrap around him again, "Let us finish this!" he said while bending down and pulling Misumi's gripping arms with him.

Misumi stumbled forward in shock and landed on Lee's back. "What are yo-"YOOOOOUUUUTTTHHHHH!" Lee interrupted as he launched them both straight up.

From his position, Misumi could do nothing but yell in shock as the duo rose upwards. His yell was suddenly cut off when his head impacted the very edge of the balcony he had just jumped down from. "Guh!" he let out as he was knocked into unconsciousness from the blow, his head now letting out some blood.

Lee continued to fly up past the balcony and flipped before landing on the railing, facing Misumi's teammate. "I am sorry for injuring your teammate!" he stated far too loudly before flipping over the arena and landing on the opposite railing in front of Kakashi and Gai.

Hayate blinked at the unusually short battle, 'that's twice now.. what an odd bunch.' "Cough cough, Winner, Lee! Could we please have a medic for Misumi!" Hayate ordered as a medical team ran in and picked up Misumi's unconscious form from the ground, his dislocated limbs trailing behind him as he was carried out.

Lee turned to his sensei, "GAI SENSEI! I MANAGED TO SHOW MY YOUTH WITHOUT REVEALING ANY OF MY SECRET TECHNIQUES!" he yelled deafeningly.

Gai smiled, "LEE! YOUR YOUTH IS OVERFLOWING!" he yelled in return.

Lee teared up, "GAI SENSEI!

So did Gai, "LEE!"

"GAI SENSEI"

"LEE!"

"GAI SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

The two embraced as a Genjutsu appeared behind them, they now were on a beach staring into the sunset in eachother's arms as a huge wave broke against the rock they stood on.

Everyone looked on in confusion, more confusion and a side of disgust. "What the fuck am I witnessing?" Naruto asked as he stepped behind Kakashi in fear.

Kakashi glanced up from his book and saw what his 'eternal rival' was doing, he sighed "Gai, it is unyouthful to interrupt an event that is deemed important to the many elemental nations." He said simply.

Instantly, the two spandex wearing green beasts were separated and they were writing in a notebook. "unyouthful….interrupting….important…events." the two muttered as they continued writing.

Kakashi nodded in satisfaction and turned back to the scared gennin and glancing at Hayate, "Sorry bout that, he gets excited easily." Kakashi said as he eye-smiled.

Hayate coughed with a smile, "I know Kakashi, thank you. Now on to the third match! Cough cough." He said as the board scrolled through the names again.

"Would Choji of the Leaf and Temari of the sand please come down."

Choji jogged down the stairs and turned to face his opponent who had just leapt over the rail, 'I hope I won't need to do too many jutsu, I barely have enough chakra for a couple of partial expansions. Nowhere near enough for a human boulder jutsu… on the plus side, she doesn't know I have near zero chakra, maybe I can find a way to use that to my advantage..' he thought as he stood in a defensive stance.

Temari smirked, 'he's not at full health, it's obvious because he's from the Akamichi clan, who are primarily offensive fighters, yet he takes a defensive stance.'

"Begin!"

Temari pulled out her fan and opened it up to the first moon, 'he doesn't seem to have any physical ailments, so it's either chakra or he's mentally distraught. Lets see which!' she thought before swinging her fan at Choji, unleashing a whirlwind at Choji.

Choji acted quickly and dove out of the way before started to run at her. 'Gotta get in close and take her out!'

Temari saw the focus in his eyes and his readiness for combat, 'he's ready to fight so it isn't mental trauma from a battle, its more than likely he's got a low well of chakra…only one way to know for sure.' She thought as she blocked his punch with her fan then leapt away from him.

Choji frowned, 'not as I expected this battle to be.' He thought as he ran at her again.

She smirked and unfolded her fan fully, "you are certainly confident for a kid with no chakra!" she taunted him.

Her quip about his chakra level made him stumble, 'what? How does she-"KAMATAICHI!" she yelled interrupting his thought train.

He looked back at her to see her just finishing a swing with her fan, he was suddenly hit with a wall of wind that blew him back as well as slash up his body.

Before he could even register the pain, his body collided with the arena wall knocking him out. "CHOJI!" team ten yelled in shock as he was sliced up and pushed into the wall.

Temari stopped her attack and placed her fan back on her back, "Too easy." She said.

Hayate frowned at the brutality shown by Temari, "Winner, Temari! Medics!" he yelled signalling for a medical team to take Choji.

The remainders of team ten looked on as Choji was carried away, Ino teared up 'he couldn't use any of his jutsu to defend himself, because of me..' she thought in sadness.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked to see Sakura supporting her, "I'm sorry Choji was hurt, but remember it was his choice to continue Ino. His alone." She said with a small smile.

Ino nodded and was about to reply when Hayate's voice interrupted, "Sakura of the Leaf and Tenten of the Leaf!"

Sakura smiled and patted Ino's shoulder once more, "wish me luck." She said as she vaulted over the rail.

Sakura landed opposite Tenten and said, "Let's have a good match ok?"

Tenten smiled and nodded, "Yeah, I'll try not to rough you up too much. Rookie." She said tauntingly but still friendly.

Up in the stands Neji scoffed, "As if a rookie would be able to even stand near the same level as someone from my team."

Misumi's teammate walked next to him, "Your right, I'm willing to bet the pink one is just some fangirl." He chuckled as he waited for the carnage to come.

"Begin!" Hayate stated as he jumped back.

Tenten spun and whipped out a scroll in one hand and four kunai in the other, "Ha!" she yelled as she flung the kunai with perfect precision.

Sakura fell into a push-up position to dodge the kunai, she pushed up to her feet and stood in a defensive position. "C'mon Tenten, I know you have more than that!" she said with a grin.

Tenten whipped the scroll around her and whipped out heaps of different weapons and started pitching them at Sakura. "How about this!" she said.

Sakura smiled and waited for the first weapons to come near her, the moment they were within range of striking, Sakura disappeared in a pink blurr that suddenly stopped halfway up the wall opposite the statue of the hands, the weapons which almost hit her impacting where she was standing AFTER she stopped moving. "Almost got me!" she yelled to Tenten.

Tenten looked in shock at Sakura's speed, 'she's as fast as lee is!'

Sakura smiled, "My turn!" she said before flying at Tenten at her awesome speed.

Tenten pulled out a combat staff and swung it on a collision course with where Sakura would end up. "Gotcha!" she yelled as her pole swung.

Sakura ducked under the staff and swung at Tenten with her fist, Tenten managed to block the strike with her weapon and push Sakura away. "I see, you're not that fast! You have some technique that lets you travel faster across a surface, but your combat is still average speed!" Tenten said in triumph of figuring out part of Sakura's technique.

Sakura got into a Taijutsu stance, her hands facing forward and crouched low. Her smirk widened, "This'll be fun." She said.

Tenten got into a stance as well, wielding the staff which now had a blade sticking from the top. "I think you should arm yourself Sakura, although no kunai will do you any good." Tenten stated.

Sakura's smirk turned into a full blown grin, "Good thing I have these!" she said and sent chakra to the bands on her arms.

Everyone's eyes widened when Sakura's arms suddenly disappeared in a rainbow glow. "Get Ready!" Sakura yelled before charging at Tenten.

As she moved the rainbow glow was left behind, everyone got a view of Sakura's clawed gauntlets. All of the people who didn't know she owned them were shocked at the weapons.

Sakura appeared in front of Tenten and stabbed at her chest with her claws, Tenten was parrying her strikes with some difficulty, since her naginata didn't have the speed Sakura did with her weapons. 'shit! She won't let me get any room to change weapons!' Tenten thought as Sakura kept pushing her back with her varying strikes and swipes.

Suddenly, Sakura whipped her foot up in an unexpected manoeuvre that connected with Tenten's jaw. At the same time, Tenten swung the pole-end of her weapon which connected with Sakura's shoulder.

The two flew apart, Tenten up into the air with her eyes closed and Sakura to the side but she never lost the smirk she held at the start.

Tenten lost her grip on the naginata and quickly flipped while pulling out a kusarigama. She opened her eyes expecting to see Sakura either on the floor or ready to engage in combat. Instead she found nothing.

Tenten jumped back, "Where did you go?" she asked to herself quietly as she landed intop of the statue.

Tenten stood in silence, waiting for Sakura to appear from where she had no idea. 'maybe she's hiding with a Genjutsu?!' she thought. She closed her eyes and focused the chakra to release a Genjutsu.

Opening them, she found no difference. 'what the hell?' she thought.

"Tenten behind you!" Lee yelled from his place in the stands.

Tenten turned to see Sakura flying at her, so Tenten threw the weight of her weapon at Sakura's unprotected form. "Gotcha!" she yelled as the weapon connected…only to go straight through her as if she didn't exist.

Tenten's eyes widened in shock, "A clone?" she asked rhetorically.

"Yep."

Tenten looked down at the voice to see Sakura partially sticking out of the top of the statue, grasping her ankles.

Tenten was about to attack when she was suddenly enveloped in darkness. There was a feeling of movement, then suddenly she was able to see again.

Tenten looked around in shock, "What happened?" she asked as she discovered she was buried up to her head.

Sakura crouched in front of her. "I won." She said simply and held a clawed hand to Tenten's throat.

"Winner, Sakura! Cough cough"

Sakura dove underground and suddenly there was darkness again for Tenten. A moment later, she was falling out of the wall above her team and landing on her knees behind them. Sakura landed by her side.

Sakura pulled Tenten to her feet, having de-activated her claws "That was fun Tenten!" she said with a smile.

Tenten looked at Sakura in shock, "Damn! How did that even happen?" she asked.

Sakura stepped away, "Just a little earth jutsu I know." She said secretly.

"Tenten!" Lee said as he ran to them, "That was a most youthful match! I am quite proud of you my teammate!" he finished with a thumbs up.

She was about to reply when a harsh slap collided with her face, knocking her to the ground. She looked up to see an enraged Neji. "How dare you!? I told you to win and you disobey fate's order!?" he raised his hand to strike her again when it was caught.

He turned to yell at the person holding his arm back when his gaze met crimson slitted eyes. "Back off before I kill you." Naruto growled out.

Neji shook his arm free and glared at Naruto, about to attack when Gai grabbed him. "Neji! Stop this now!" he ordered.

Neji stepped back and was about to leave the stadium, "Hinata of the Leaf and Neji of the Leaf!" he stopped and grinned darkly.

"I guess fate has smiled upon me today." He said and leapt into the stadium.

"Are you alright Ten-chan?" Naruto asked as he held her hand and pulled her back on to her feet.

Tenten nodded sadly and moved away from everyone, "Its fine. I'm used to it." She mumbled as she now stood behind her sensei, hiding from the other gennin.

Hinata fiddled with her fingers before walking down the stairs to face her cousin. 'I hope nii-san has calmed down, I wonder why he attacked his teammate..' she thought as she stood opposite him.

Neji smirked, "Hinata-sama," he practically spat out, "I am pleased to inform you I will beat you down on this day."

Hinata's eyes widened in shock, "N-Nii-san?" she asked, being quite afraid of his dark demeanour.

Neji took an offensive stance, "Proctor, start the match." He stated.

Hayate frowned at Neji's attitude, 'how rude, children shouldn't act so hate-filled.' He thought.

"Begin!"

Hinata took a weak stance while Neji activated his Byakugan without hand seals, "You are not fit to lead the clan Hinata-sama, you are weak and you have no confidence. The leader of the clan needs to be strong and smart." He stated with a glare.

"I can see all of your weaknesses, your lack of finesse in your stance, your closed in posture practically cries out your self-incompetence. You. Are. Weak!" he finished with a gruesome smile.

Hinata stepped back in shock, "N-Nii-san I don't know w-why you are a-acting this way, b-but I do kn-know that I won't b-back down!" she stuttered out and activated her Byakugan with two hand seals.

Neji frowned, "Fine! I will show you what fate has intended for you!" he said as he charged forward.

Hinata stepped into a defensive stance and the two clashed in a speedy display of palm thrusts, shooting chakra off at each strike.

Neji was angered that Hinata chose to stand and fight, combined with his rage at Tenten he was ready to kill someone. So instead of holding back like he planned to, he unleashed a vicious combination that knocked Hinata off her feet and away from him.

She landed on her back and coughed up blood, 'oh well, at least I tried I guess Nii-san is just stronger than I am.' She stood to her feet and was about to surrender when suddenly she found she was unable to move her feet.

She looked up in shock to see Neji in a low stance. "I will finish this! Eight Trigrams: Sixty four palms!" he yelled as he shot forward.

Hinata watched her cousin approach in fear, 'I might die if this attack hit me.' She realised as the first strike landed.

"Two palms!" his strikes hit Hinata's shoulders knocking her back, but into motion.

"P-Proctor!"

"Four Palms!" these next strikes hit along her hips, momentarily disabling her ability to channel chakra through her legs.

"I forfeit!" she screamed.

"Eight palms!" Neji continued his attack in fury, ignoring her plea.

"Sixteen Palms!"

Hayate suddenly appeared between the two gennin, he grasped Neji's wrists and halted the attack. "Neji Hyuuga! Stop now or I will disqualify you!" he yelled, for once not even hinting at his sickly state.

Neji's attack was fully halted, so he stepped away in disgust, spitting on the floor at Hinata's feet. "Worthless." He muttered as she collapsed.

Hinata started to fall to the ground, 'why?' she thought as she recalled Neji's harsh actions.

Suddenly she felt herself be caught, she opened her eyes to see Naruto looking down at her scared for her safety, "Hinata-chan, are you okay?" he asked.

She smiled weakly and nodded, before coughing a glob of blood on his forehead. "S-sorry N-Narut-to-kun" she mumbled weakly before curling into his grasp, unconscious.

Naruto, ignoring the blood, picked her up bridal style and turned to Neji, his eyes crimson and slitted. "Neji hyuuga," he muttered, grabbing Neji's attention.

Neji turned to Naruto, his Byakugan still active as they glared at each other. "What do you want trash." Neji stated as an order.

Naruto looked up as Hinata's blood dripped down his face, covering his eyelids and making it appear as though he cried tears of blood. "I vow on Hinata-chan's blood, you will pay for the torture you've pushed your team and your family through. You will experience much pain before I even begin to let up on your punishment." He promised as the blood seeped down his jaw.

Neji twitched before shaking, holding in his fear, 'it doesn't matter if I feel fear, fate is on my side.' He smirked at Naruto before turning away. "Keep dreaming freak." He said as he walked back to the balcony.

Naruto turned away and called for a medic, one appeared and Naruto passed Hinata to them. "Look after her, please." He whispered to the medic. Who just nodded with a small smile before running off with Hinata to the medical ward.

"Next fight: Naruto of the Leaf and Kankuro of the Sand." Hayate said reading from the screen.

Kankuro frowned, 'I better focus, this kid is strong.' He thought as he leapt to the stadium floor.

"Start the fight proctor." Naruto said without turning back to meet kankuro's form.

Hayate nodded, "Begin!"

Naruto looked over his shoulder and glared at Kankuro, "you already caused her pain, and now she has to suffer more?!" he yelled in rage, putting Kankuro on guard, "I WILL STOP YOU FROM HURTING ANYONE EVER AGAIN!" Naruto screamed, the blood flying across his face as he unsheathed Kubikiri Bocho, "YOUR DEAD!"

* * *

Chapter end


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter twelve: prelims part two, the pain of loss.

"YOU'RE DEAD!" Naruto screamed as he whipped his sword around and into a stance.

Kankuro stood across from him, scared but confident. 'I can take him, he's just a leaf rookie.' He thought as he pulled a package off of his back.

Naruto glared at Kankuro, Hinata's blood dripping down his face. 'I swore to Hiashi-sama that you would die, how can I do so before the proctor tries to step in?' he asked rhetorically, 'I hack him to pieces faster than they can react.' He thought with a dark sneer.

Kankuro took Naruto's lack of attack as an invitation, he threw the package off to the side of the arena and started sprinting at Naruto.

Naruto was confused by Kankuro's actions, 'wouldn't a puppet master want to be further away than up close?' he thought. He looked at the package and noticed in was moving, even if it was only slightly. '…duh.'

Naruto ran straight at the 'Kankuro' that was charging him, he swung his massive blade in hopes of destroying the puppet.

Naruto's blade connected and the puppet was sliced in half.

Naruto looked on in shock as the puppet fell to the ground, many people on the balconies gasped in shock at the display of someone being hacked in half.

Naruto focussed on the puppet, 'any second now…'

The puppet's upper body suddenly spun around and spat a purple ball at Naruto, 'poison!' Naruto thought as he pulled his mask up over his nose and was engulfed by a cloud of poisonous smoke.

Kankuro stood from his bandaged disguise, "Too easy, your dead now if you don't get proper medical attention, so why don't you give up?" he said with a smirk.

Kankuro waited for a response, what he heard surprised him.

"WIND STYLE: GREAT BREAKTHROUGH!"

Suddenly the toxic cloud flew towards kankuro's position as he dodged to the side with a quick dive. 'shit! A wind user?' he thought as he rolled to his feet and drew his puppet back to him.

Naruto leaped from the remains of the poison cloud and landed in front of Kankuro, he yanked down his orange facemask. "This is on me for a reason moron." He stated before pulling the mask back up incase the puppet user tried more poison.

Kankuro frowned and began a complex attack with his puppet, it shot a handful of senbon from one of it's arms then charged behind them towards Naruto.

Naruto swung his sword, deflecting all the senbon and halting the approach of the puppet.

Kankuro smiled, "CROW!" he yelled and moved his fingers.

The puppet, now dubbed crow, flew over Naruto and swung a blade at his unprotected back.

Smirking, Naruto pushed his palm behind him, "DECAPITATING AIR WAVES!" he yelled.

The puppet was launched back, and to kankuro's fear it shattered against the wall it collided with.

Kankuro fell back in shock, 'crow? You were defeated?' he thought.

Naruto spun quickly, '**NOW! BEFORE HE FORFEITS!**' Kyuubi yelled to Naruto, spurring him on.

Naruto deactivated his weights and dropped his sword. Kankuro, who had raised his hand paused for a moment in confusion. This was his last mistake.

Naruto flung his hands towards Kankuro and _bone bullets _flung from his fingers and tore through kankuro's arms and legs. "_AAAAHHHHHH_" Kankuro screamed in pain as his tendons were ripped from his body.

Naruto used his increased speed to appear in front of Kankuro, "DIE!" he screamed as he plunged his _hidden bone_ at Kankuro.

*SPLATTER*

Kankuro was stabbed straight through the base of his throat, he gagged for a second on his own blood before Naruto wrenched his arm upwards.

The arena was silent as kankuro's head fell to the ground at Hayate's feet.

Naruto paused staring at the body, 'I win, burn in hell trash.' He thought before turning back to his sword.

Hayate coughed once, "Winner, Naruto." He said as Naruto re-sheathed his massive blade and activated his weights.

"BROTHER!" Temari screamed from her place next to Gaara. He just looked on with a purely evil grin. 'Mother wants HIS blood!' he screeched from inside his head.

Baki hugged the now sobbing Temari, 'shit! A leaf rookie is this powerful?' he thought watching Naruto leap up to his team. Most of the other gennin stepped away from his position. 'At least these other gennin don't appear to be anything special.'

Sakura placed her hands on Naruto's back, "It's ok Nii-san, I agree with your actions." She whispered as Sasuke patted Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto nodded and looked over at Gaara and Temari. 'They'll probably want revenge. Sucks to be them I guess.' He thought.

Hayate coughed, this brought everyone's attention to him, "Would the sand village sensei please remove his student's remains? I'm sure Kazekage-sama would want a proper burial for his son." He said finishing with a cough.

Baki leapt down to the arena floor and sealed kankuro's pieces into a basic sealing scroll before leaping back up to his place.

Hayate nodded in thanks, "Next match, cough cough, Pikkon of the Stone and Shino of the leaf."

Shino leapt down onto the arena floor as did Pikkon, he was a tall man with two short swords draped across his back. "I'm sorry for your inevitable loss." He said as he bowed to Shino.

Shino nodded once, "It is logical for you to be confident, but you shouldn't overestimate yourself." He said in reply.

"Begin!"

Shino sent a swarm of bugs at Pikkon, just as he unsheathed his swords. "FLAMING CROSS!" Pikkon yelled as he swung his blades at the swarm.

An 'X' of flame shot towards the cloud and burnt it's way through the oncoming bugs. Separating them from eachother and giving Pikkon a straight line to Shino.

Shino tried to pull his bugs back, they followed quickly but not quick enough.

Pikkon dashed through the gap in the cloud and charged at Shino, his swords starting to shimmer brown.

"STONE PRISON!" Pikkon yelled as he stabbed his swords into the ground.

Shino moved back to hopefully dodge the attack, unfortunately the attack wasn't launched at him.

A stone prison rose out of the ground and enveloped all of Shino's bugs as well as Pikkon himself, Shino stood, confused as to what the purpose of trapping the bugs inside a prison with the target.

Shino sent a mental message to the bugs to start attacking the man on the inside. All he got in return was a short message that translated to, 'Not Here. Clone.'

Shino went to move towards the dome in hopes of breaking his bugs free. That moment Pikkon burst out of the ground in front of Shino and stabbed his legs. When Pikkon finished his swing, he kicked out with his feet, landing a solid hit to Shino's chest.

Shino fell back, unarmed, legs useless, broken ribs. He did the logical thing.

"I find myself defeated." He stated. Pikkon nodded and sheathed his blades.

Shino rolled to face Hayate, "I forfeit Hayate-san." He spoke before lying down.

Hayate nodded, "Winner Pikkon! Medic!" he finished with a cough, calling medic nin for Shino.

Pikkon released his jutsu while panting, Shino's bugs flew back to his body and started to re-enter so that they can help heal the wounds.

Pikkon nodded before walking back to his place on the balcony.

Kiba frowned, "I guess I have to win now, otherwise team eight will be the only rookies not to be through to the finals.." he said.

"Next match, Ino of the Leaf and Makyo of the Stone." Hayate read off of the board above.

Ino sighed nervously, 'I have to win this! I won't let Choji's sacrifice be in vain!' she thought before nodding and jumping down to confront her opponent.

Makyo stood with a grin, "Begin!" Hayate yelled.

Makyo pulled out a kunai and walked towards Ino calmy, "How do you want to die Leaf?" he said with a sneer.

Ino was a little shocked at his behaviour, 'what a weirdo. I'm gonna end this quick.' She thought as she reached behind her back.

Makyo saw her movement and charged forward intent of stopping her before she could draw any weapon. Ino stumbled over her plan at the sudden charge, and ended up accidentally knock half of the pouch's contents on the floor where she was standing.

Makyo stabbed at Ino who fell under the strike and rolled between his legs, using the momentum Ino kicked at makyo's back forcing him onto his hands and knees.

Ino turned and saw that Makyo was over the contents that had fallen from her pouch, she saw a red sliver of paper and grinned. Ino jumped away and stopped as Makyo stood to his feet, still standing over the discarded items. "Awe, is the little leaf scared?" he tried to intimidate her.

He failed. She smiled and sent a pulse of her chakra into the explosive tags under Makyo's feet. "Nope." She said with a smirk.

Makyo felt the wave of chakra and stood confused, before hearing a sizzling under his feet.

He looked down just in time for three explosive notes to explode under him.

*BOOM* "AAAAAAAHHHHH"

Mayko's scream of pain ricocheted around the arena as his legs were blown from existence. He was flung upwards connecting with the arena roof, breaking his neck instantly.

Pikkon glowered at Ino, 'she took out Makyo?! No! he was mine to kill!' he thought angrily.

Ino frowned at the brutal ending and walked back to her sensei and Shikamaru. 'I just killed..' she thought, waiting for the guilt and emotions to envelope her. Yet all she could feel was pride.

She arrived next to Shikamaru, "Why am I happy?" she mumbled under her breath.

Shika still heard her and smiled at her, "Because you managed to go against the odds and defeat your opponent, you made sure Choji's sacrifice wasn't for nothing." He said simply.

Ino smiled, "I guess you're right." She said imagining Choji's smiling face, 'Choji-kun…' she thought happily.

Sasuke twitched in irritation, 'when is it my fight? I hope it's not Kiba, I wanna have a real fight.' He thought, frustrated at the long wait.

"Next match, Gaara of the Sand and Kiba of the Leaf." Hayate said.

Kiba leapt down in excitement, "Finally it's our go!" he cheered as Akamaru jumped from his head and landed next to him with a yip.

Gaara sand shunshined into the arena, his sand flaring around him.

Hayate nodded before leaping away, "Begin!" he said.

Kiba took quick action and charged at Gaara, "TSUUGA!" he yelled as he spiralled towards the smiling gennin.

The result of Kiba's attack shocked everyone.

Kiba impacted a small wall of sand and slowly started to push through thanks to the rotation of his attack, shocking the sand team. 'he's getting through!?' they thought.

Gaara just smiled wider, "Mother wants your BLOOD!" he screeched insanely.

Sand suddenly gathered under Kiba and pushed him upwards, launching him over Gaara while still in his jutsu.

Kiba released the drill-like move and threw a pill towards Akamaru who caught it in his mouth and chowed down.

Gaara watched on in interest as Akamaru sprinted quickly towards Kiba as he was making hand signs. "Man-beast transformation!" Kiba yelled as he became much more animalistic and Akamaru disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The smoke dissipated to show two animalistic looking Kibas glaring at Gaara with a smile. "Let's go!" the Kiba on the bottom said.

The two Kibas leapt on either side of Gaara and started spinning towards him, "GATSUUGA!" one of them yelled.

The spinning drills were blocked by Gaara's sand, but they both slowly made their way through the shield and impacted Gaara's body.

"Gaara!" Temari yelled, scared of losing her other brother.

Gaara's body was flung into the air, he seemed completely defenceless. Yet the smirk didn't leave his face and the 'cuts' on his body seemed to be mere scratches on his armour of sand.

The Kibas landed on opposite side of Gaara, "Got him!" the one on the left yelled.

Gaara fell to the ground, but at the last second he flipped and landed in a crouch. "I will paint my skin with your death." Gaara mumbled before flinging his left arm out.

Sand followed the gesture and flew towards the real Kiba. Kiba felt confident and launched himself at the oncoming sand in a tsuuga. It was a mistake.

The sand started to spin in the same direction as Kiba, preventing him from pushing through the attack.

Akamaru saw his chance and launched himself at Gaara, the leftover part of sand rose up at the last second and deflected Akamaru's approach.

Gaara pulled his left arm back, releasing the war he held with Kiba, who lost control at the unexpected lack of force. He flew straight into the ground and bounced off towards Gaara's rising sand.

Akamaru's henge dropped as he started to run low on chakra, he turned to see Kiba land at Gaara's feet.

Gaara smiled down at Kiba, but Kiba wasn't down for the count yet. He leapt to his feet and threw a punch at Gaara's face. it was intercepted by sand.

Kiba continued his assault.

Gaara stood perfectly calm grinning darkly at Kiba as he continued to attack Gaara's sand wall since he was in too much panic to think of a plan.

Gaara dropped the sand wall just before Kiba's next attack landed, throwing him off balance.

Gaara rose his arms, "VIOLENT SAND EVICERATION!" he yelled with a dark grin.

The sand followed Gaara's arms, creating ten spikes, one for each finger. Kiba was stabbed through once for every finger.

Kiba silently screamed in pain, coughing up as much blood as that which was spewing out of his wounds. 'oh..' was his last thought as Gaara flexed his hands open, ripping Kiba to pieces in the single move.

Akamaru watched, stunned as his partner was absolutely destroyed. "KIBAAAA!" he yelled in dog tongue, balling from his eyes as his partner's head landed in front of him.

Gaara chuckled twice before turning to Hayate.

Hayate snapped out of his shock and rose his arm, "Winner, Gaara." He said solemnly.

Gaara sand shunshined back to his place on the balcony as many of the Konoha nin looked on in shock at Kiba's remains.

Kurenai was crying, 'how could I let this happen? I should've listened to Iruka, my team just wasn't ready for these exams.' She thought as she fell to her knees, 'how am I going to tell Tsume and Hana?'

Most of the ninja in the arena were mourning the loss of a Konoha comrade, when Naruto heard a quiet wine.

He looked away from the remains of his comrade and good friend, to see Akamaru shaking in the corner of the arena, covered in Kiba's blood.

He leapt over the remains and landed near Akamaru, "Akamaru? I'm so sorry." He mumbled, unsure of what else to say.

Akamaru didn't move until he heard Naruto take another step towards him. He suddenly collapsed, but Naruto caught him before he hit the ground. "I've got you buddy, I'll take you home after the last fight okay?"

Akamaru whined out, "Why? I will never be with my partner again.."

Naruto understood Akamaru's plea to both of their surprise, "I guess we'll find out." He answered.

Akamaru just collapsed into Naruto's hold as Hayate called, "Naruto, please vacate the arena. I've called in a cleaning crew."

Naruto nodded and leapt the two bounds needed back to his team, Akamaru in his grasp.

He landed between Sakura and Sasuke, "Look after him Naruto, I gotta go." Sasuke said looking at the screen.

"Final match, Sasuke of the leaf and Yoroi of the leaf." Hayate said as the cleaning crew left the floor.

Sasuke walked down the stairs, still in shock of watching a comrade be ripped to pieces. While Yoroi leapt down.

Hayate waved for attention, "Begin!"

Sasuke still seemed in shock, so Yoroi took the opportunity to charge him, hands now glowing.

"I'll finish this quick!" he shouted as he grabbed Sasuke's shoulders.

Feeling the grip, Sasuke looked up and made eye contact with Yoroi, his Sharingan active. "You won't win, I will steal all of your chakra!" Yoroi yelled in hopes of intimidating Sasuke.

Sasuke just looked into his eyes, "I'm sorry" he said before plunging a kunai into Yoroi's unexpected face.

Yoroi fell back, screaming while clutching at his eye socket which now had a kunai sticking through it.

Yoroi fell to the ground, for some reason not dying. "The PAIN! AAAARRRRRRHHHH"

Sasuke stood over him and held a kunai to his throat. "Forfeit." He ordered.

Yoroi yelled, "I FORFEIT JUST CALL A MEDIC PLEASE!"

Sasuke smirked and stood back, "That won't be necessary."

Suddenly the world warped and Yoroi found himself clutching at nothing, there was no pain at all.

"Sasuke wins by forfeit." Hayate said as Sasuke deactivated his Sharingan.

Yoroi looked on in shock, "Genjutsu?" he asked.

Sasuke nodded, "Yep, here's a tip. Never look into a Sharingan eye." He said as he walked away.

Yoroi punched the ground, "DAMMIT!" he yelled in fury.

Hayate called everyone's attention to himself, "Would the winners of…cough cough…each battle please come down." He said.

All the winners walked down the steps and met up in front of Hayate. They stood in a row, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Lee, Naruto, Temari, Pikkon, Sakura, Neji, Gaara and finally Ino.

Anko clicked a button on the remote she held, the screen changed showing a battle chart. "We will now pick the battles that are to take place at the finals." Hayate said before coughing.

He picked up a box that was given to him by Anko and walked past the line of gennin, "Call out your name then number, cough cough, Anko will fill in the chart so you can see the setup."

"Sasuke, 3"

"Shikamaru, 7"

"Lee, 5"

"Naruto, 9"

"Temari, 4"

"Pikkon, 8"

"Sakura, 1"

"Neji, 10

"Gaara, 6"

"Ino, 2"

Anko recorded the names and they appeared on the screen in the right places. Hayate was about to continue when he suddenly had a coughing fit. "I've got it Hayate." The third Hokage said before stepping forward.

"The Chunnin exam finals will take place one month from now, use this time to analyse your opponents and create a counter to their techniques. We need this month to invite all the important dignitaries to the village. Now, to outline the tournament setup." He said with a kind smile.

"There will be three rounds,

Round 1 Sakura vs. Ino Sasuke vs. Temari Lee vs. Gaara Shikamaru vs. Pikkon Naruto vs. Neji

Round 2 Fight One Victor vs. Fight Two Victor Fight three victor vs. Fight Four victor Fight five's victor will gain a bye.

Round 3 a battle royale between the winners of battles five, six and seven." The Hokage explained.

"I congratulate you on your victories, you are dismissed!"

* * *

"Are you sure you want to come as well?" Kurenai asked to Naruto as he walked alongside Kurenai.

Naruto nodded and petted Akamaru who he held in his arms, "I promised Akamaru that I would take him to Tsume when the news was given." He said quietly.

Kurenai just nodded as the two continued their walk towards the Inuzuka compound.

They arrived at the complex not twenty minutes later.

They stood side by side at the door, unsure of how to continue.

Kurenai sighed, before knocking on the door. "Who is it?" a voice said from the other side of the door.

Kurenai spoke up, "Kurenai Yuuhi and Naruto Uzumaki. We need to speak to Tsume and Hana, it concerns Kiba and the exams.."

The door opened to show it was Hana who was at the door, "What's up with the little mutt?" she asked with a grin, which slowly turned to scared and confused when she noticed the two people's solemn expressions and Akamaru buried in Naruto's arms. "Umm, I'll go get mum have a seat over there." She finished as she pointed to a table and chairs, running out of the room.

Kurenai and Naruto sat on the offered chairs, "How…what do we say?" Naruto said, feeling extremely out of place.

Kurenai patted his shoulder and sighed, "You just look after Akamaru, I'll do the talking. Alright?"

Naruto nodded. The door that Hana left through opened suddenly, letting through a confused looking Hana and a scared looking Tsume. "Kurenai…where's my son?" she asked as she gripped the back of a chair.

Kurenai swallowed, "I think you know Tsume, I'm so sorry." She said as tears poured from her eyes.

Tsume collapsed into her chair, "Oh god…" she mumbled before she let out an extreme amount of tears.

Hana sat in the chair next to her mother, "Mum? Why are your crying? What did Kiba do?" she asked, scared but oblivious.

Kurenai spoke up again, barely holding back her sobs, "Kiba fought against a sand gennin, he was…killed." She let out, finally letting the tears break through.

Hana sat back in shock as tears welled up in her eyes, "Kiba…what?" she barely let out.

Naruto noticed all three women in the room were sobbing, 'why did Gaara have to kill him? He was one of the best allies I've known.' Naruto thought as a few tears dripped from his eyes.

Akamaru moved onto the table and licked tears away from Naruto's face, "Kiba wouldn't want us to be sad." He yipped out.

Naruto sat up straight, "Yeah, I guess your right Akamaru." He spoke, letting out a sorrow filled smile at Akamaru.

Tsume's tears slowed as she heard Naruto's reply, "Naruto, can you understand Akamaru?" she asked, still extremely sad but showing some surprise.

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, I'm not sure why I can all of a sudden. What does it matter anyway?" he said quietly.

Hana ran from the room, tears pouring from her eyes. "Hana!" Tsume yelled after her.

Kurenai stood, "I'm sorry again, I should've stopped it before it happened." She said.

Tsume just shook her head, now facing the door Hana left from. "It's not your fault Kurenai. Naruto, can you please take care of Akamaru for a few days? I will personally come get him from you soon."

Naruto nodded as Akamaru leapt into his arms, "Sure thing Inuzuka-sama." He bowed as he stood.

Tsume nodded before walking after Hana, "Show yourselves out please, I need to be with my daughter." She said as she left the room.

Kurenai sighed again, the tears starting to subside as the three took their leave.

Nothing was said as Kurenai and Naruto walked side by side out of the compound and into the street.

Naruto glanced at Kurenai, "Kurenai sensei, my team lives together and we invited team eight over for dinner sometime soon. Would you like to come? You can bring whoever you want.." he trailed off, unsure how to continue his question.

Kurenai smiled down at Naruto, "Thank you for the offer Naruto, I will see you and your team there." She replied as she turned to walk away.

Naruto nodded, "See you later," he said while turning towards the Uchiha district, Akamaru now asleep in his arms.

* * *

Naruto opened the door, "I'm home," he called as he kicked off his shoes.

Sakura stuck her head around the corner, "Naru-nii, where were you?" she asked, glancing between him and the sleeping Akamaru in his arms.

Naruto walked around her into the lounge room, "I went with Kurenai sensei to deliver the news to Kiba's family." He replied as he sat on the couch and placed Akamaru on the loveseat in the corner.

Sakura gasped, "I'll get your dinner, just relax ok? Do you want to talk about it?" she said all at once, trying to busy herself to bury the sadness welling in her chest.

Naruto shook his head, "I don't need to talk about it, but dinner would be nice. Do we have anything for Akamaru?" he asked, watching the small dog sleep.

Sakura nodded, "Yeah, I'll handle it." She said as she turned back to the kitchen.

Naruto sat in silence for a moment, before wrenching off his mask and sleeves. No longer wearing any orange, he blended into the shadow of the lounge room well. "I swore I would protect the leaf village, the will of fire." He mumbled, looking at Akamaru.

"How can I do that if I couldn't protect one friend?" he asked as he lay back, his head on the end of the couch that was closest to Akamaru.

"if anyone can do it, you can."

Naruto looked over to the doorway to see Sasuke walking out, obviously he just left the shower since he was still in a towel. "Aniki?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke walked towards the stairs so that he could make it to his room, "you know my ambition Otouto, maybe avenging Kiba will help you repent for what you couldn't stop." He said as he walked up. "Or I'm wrong, it's up to you Naruto." He finished as he disappeared from view.

Naruto stared at where Sasuke just disappeared from, 'avenge…I already did for Hinata-chan, and I plan to do so again…' Naruto's sorrow suddenly turned into a smirk, 'Gaara of the sand. I sentence you to death.' Naruto thought as he stared up at the ceiling above him.

* * *

**_Mindscape._**

Naruto walked into the cage room and smiled when Naomi jumped into his arms, "are you ok?" she asked into his chest as he picked her up.

Naruto nodded, "I have to be okay, my village needs me to be." He said with a smile as he sat down on the couch next to Mizuki.

Mizuki patted Naruto's shoulder, "You got some business to take care of Naruto, it was a strain on Kyuubi-san to supress the jutsu for this long." He said as he nodded over to the fox.

Naruto followed his gaze and saw Zabuza sitting on top of Zaku Abumi's physical body, while Kyuubi lay on it's stomach, seeming to be resting.

Naruto placed Naomi back into mizuki's arms. "I'll deal with it now." He said as he jumped from the building's roof and landed in front of Zabuza.

Zabuza nodded and held Zaku's body up. "All yours brat." He said.

Naruto placed his palm on Zaku's forehead. "I'm going to wipe him completely, I just want his jutsu and abilities." Naruto said as he glared at the unconscious boy.

Zaku's eyes suddenly opened wide, "AAAAAAHHHHHH!" he screamed as his essence was ripped from him, Naruto absorbed the whole thing without separating them.

Naruto nodded to Zabuza, and the spirit threw Zaku's corpse into the Kyuubi's cage.

Kyuubi smacked the ground with its tails, the force of the resulting quake launching the corpse into the air.

The awesome display of power was kind of unnecessary for the purpose of obtaining it's lunch.

Naruto fell to his knees, clutching his head. "AAAHHH!" he yelled.

Mizuki and Naomi ran over to Naruto as Zabuza lifted him up, "What's happening?" Zabuza asked as the three carried Naruto towards the couch.

"The original scroll said that the jutsu gave memories to the user when absorbed fully, maybe Naruto got some of the other kid's memories?" Mizuki said as he pondered the thought.

Naruto sat up, massaging his head "Not just some, every memory he had up until the moment of his death." Naruto said as he opened his eyes and rubbed his face.

Naomi pulled Naruto to his feet, "I hope your feeling better Naruto-kun. But you have to go soon! Time goes really quickly in here." She said as she pointed to the screen, where she could see a red tinge on the back of his eyelids, signifying the sun's rise.

Naruto nodded and walked to the exit, **"Kit, for the next month I will make sure you rest properly. No more visits unless necessary, you will need all the rest you can have." **Kyuubi said as Naruto left.

"Thanks Kyuubi-san." Naruto said as he took the last step back into consciousness.

* * *

Chapter end.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter thirteen: A New training schedule, Ramifications.

"Rise and shine nii-san!"

Naruto woke to Sakura's call, "I'm up," he said as he shot into a sitting position.

Sasuke stuck his head in Naruto's doorway as he passed, "Sakura made breakfast this morning since I found this note," Sasuke pulled a piece of paper, "stuck to my window this morning. Sensei wants us to meet him at our training grounds, says that there is someone important that wants to meet us." he said before leaving towards the kitchen.

Naruto swung out of bed and hurried to get dressed, 'maybe I can ask Kakashi sensei what to do with Akamaru?' he thought as he ran out of his room, in his new outfit, but lacking the orange face mask.

Sakura just sat down as Naruto ran into the kitchen/dining room, "Yum!" Naruto said as he inhaled the eggs on rice Sakura left on a plate for him.

Sasuke and Sakura ate at a normal pace, enjoying the taste in a much more normal way. "Great as always Sakura-chan." Sasuke said.

Sakura smiled back with a light blush, "Glad you like it." She replied.

A quiet wine as heard, and the three looked beside Naruto to see Akamaru looking up at the food hopefully, "Can I have some?" he whined to Naruto.

Naruto nodded, "Sure thing, Sakura-nee is there any spare?" he asked.

Sakura smiled, "Yep, how bout this?" she said picking some bacon off of a pan she had on the stove.

Akamaru sniffed and yipped in happiness, Sakura placed the bacon in a small bowl and placed it on the floor next to the table.

"ARF!" Akamaru let out a bark and started inhaling the food at a Naruto-esque pace.

Naruto pat his full belly, "That was delicious!" he said happily. Akamaru barked in agreement as he chewed on his last rasher of bacon.

Sasuke nodded with a grunt, placing down his chopsticks and reaching for his miso. "As it always is, though I'll have to apologise to Ayame-chan for not coming by this morning." He said thoughtfully.

Seeing Kakashi's note, Sakura picked it up off of the table. "Umm it says here that sensei wants to meet us in two minutes." She said as she stood up from the table.

Sasuke stood as well, "we better get going then." He said as he activated his curse mark, the tattoos spreading over his skin, "Race you both there?" he asked as he put his shoes on.

Naruto picked up Akamaru and concentrated on the air-holes in his legs, "I'm up for it," he said as he put on his newly modified sandals.

Sakura smirked and activated her skating technique, "Well boys, let's see if you can keep up!" she said.

Suddenly the three disappeared from view, moving at incredible speeds through the leaf village. Sakura was skating through the streets and alleys, still managing to stay slightly ahead of Naruto and Sasuke.

Naruto was flying over the buildings as wind was propelling from the soles of his feet, Akamaru seemed scared but excited at the same time. Naruto charged some extra chakra through the tubing, propelling himself fast enough to almost catch up to Sakura.

Sasuke's curse mark gave all of his movements extra power, thus every step he took propelled him ten times further, and five times faster than he could normally. He sent more chakra to his feet and launched himself from the last building onto the bridge, barely behind Naruto.

The three arrived within thirty seconds of leaving the house, their training field now covered in a light layer of dirt.

Naruto touched down as Sasuke de-activated his curse mark, "hehe that was fun!" he said smiling.

Sakura smiled and sat against a training post, "I guess I'm still the speediest of us three." She said.

Sasuke smirked, "Yeah, I'm guessing you've chosen your speciality then?" Sasuke asked.

She raised a brow, "Hmm? What do you mean?"

"I thought you'd want to become a clean-up ninja." Sasuke deadpanned.

Sakura leaned back in thought, 'hmm, I guess that fits my skills perfectly. Quick fatalities, possible captures, speed is the most needed aspect..' she pondered the possibility.

Kakashi appeared in a puff of smoke, "Hello students, I was casually waiting for the release of my favourite series' next instalment when, imagine my surprise, my squad of gennin pass me faster than most Jonin could. What's the rush?" he asked as he looked up from a red book, in the place of his old orange one.

Sasuke smiled, "In all honesty, we were racing." Sakura nodded with a smile.

Kakashi was about to say something when he recognised Akamaru in Naruto's arms. "Naruto? Why are you still looking after Akamaru?" he asked.

Akamaru jumped onto Naruto's head, the same way he would Kiba's. "Tsume and Hana need some time together, so Akamaru is staying with us for a few days." Naruto explained, reaching up and scratching Akamaru behind the ears.

Kakashi nodded, "Seems fair. Now, as you know, there is someone who wants to meet you three. He is interested in some abilities each of you possess." Kakashi said.

Sakura chose this moment to speak up, "And who would that be sensei?"

Suddenly, a toad the size of a cart landed behind the team. They turned in battle ready positions when a voice wrung out, "IT IS I! THE MAJESTIC WARRIOR OF MOUNT MYUBOKUZEN, THE MAN WITH THE KEY TO EVERY WOMAN'S HEART THE ALMIGHTY JIRAIYA THE TOAD SAGE!" the man known as Jiraiya yelled as he did some weird dance on top of the toad's head.

Naruto blinked in recognition, "You're the one that trained the fourth Hokage and his team!" he said excitedly.

Jiraiya dismissed the toad and landed in front of team seven with a nod, "That is true. Now, there are some things I will be teaching all of you this next month…"

The team's eyes widened, "We're gonna be taught be one of the sannin?!" Sakura yelled, reverting back to her violent banshee scream.

Kakashi slammed some tape on her mouth, "I thought you were over this Sakura," he said with a sigh.

Sasuke stepped up, "Why us Jiraiya-sama?" he asked.

Jiraiya's expression turned serious, "The last Uchiha, capable of taking sealing jutsu to new heights, near master of fire chakra and user of the rare kusarigama all while being fully in control of an known enemy's greatest weapon, the cursed seal. Who wouldn't want a chance to train someone like you?" he asked rhetorically before turning to Sakura.

"The civilian girl, capable of moving at the speed of sound after only three months training, somehow was blessed with the ability to actually use the legendary armour 'Radical good speed' and it's expansions and with a natural duel element. Seems fun to me." He finally turned to Naruto.

"And last but in no way least, the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, master of the forbidden soul drain jutsu, wielder of one of the seven swords of the mist, partial dead bone pulse bloodline, apparently a wind user and finally legacy of my dearest friend." He said with a smile.

Team seven looked at the man in shock, 'he knows everything?!' they thought. 'legacy?' Naruto thought at the end.

Kakashi took this moment to add his input, "well guys, Jiraiya-sama and I have come up with a training schedule for the team over the next month. Trust me when I say, it's gonna be hard, but you all will benefit." He said with an eye-smile.

Naruto jumped up in excitement, "YEAH! A sannin! This'll be fantastic!" he said.

Jiraiya's laughter bellowed around the training field, "Alright! That's the spirit!" he yodelled.

Kakashi spoke up, "Alright, the daily schedule will go like this; from seven til ten, Jiraiya-sama will train with Naruto, then from ten-thirty til one-thirty, he will train Sakura. Then from two in the afternoon til five, he will train Sasuke. During the times you are not training with Jiraiya-sama, I will be pushing you physically, making you faster, stronger and hopefully smarter. Any questions?"

Sakura raised her hand, "Mmh mfmm mh mmhmmfha?" she asked, the tape quivering with each movement.

"A good question, the half hours between will be breaks for each of you while Jiraiya-sama sets up the next person's training. I recommend you relax in these breaks, but make sure you have some food. We don't want you passing out." Kakashi replied with an eye-smile.

Jiraiya nodded, "This schedule will start tomorrow. For now, I just want to talk to each of you, get to know where your skill levels are at and stuff." He said with a smile.

Sasuke nodded and sat down, "well, no time like the present. New introductions?" he asked with a small smirk.

Kakashi chuckled, "alright, same as last time then. Blondie," he said turning to Naruto as said gennin sat in front of the two higher-ups.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, I like ramen, my friends and family and my tenants, also training. I dislike the sand and sound villages because of what they're planning. My hobbies include training and discovering new possibilities with my jutsus and abilities. My dream is to ensure the survival and growth of the village and the will of fire."

Kakashi looked at Naruto curiously, "we'll discuss what you mean by that soon Naruto. Now the emo's turn," he said.

Sasuke smirked and lay back, "….my name in Uchiha Sasuke, I like my true family and getting stronger with them. I still dislike my worthless fangirls, but I've come to discover that there is more to some of them than there seems. My hobbies are much the same as Naruto's. My dream is to raise my clan from the ashes and destroy Itachi Uchiha."

"Pinkie." Kakashi stated pointing at the still taped Sakura.

"….."

"You have nothing to say Sakura?"

"MMMMFFFF!"

"O right," Kakashi stated as he pulled the tape from her mouth.

Sakura smiled evilly, "I owe you one sensei." Kakashi sweated nervously,

"My name is Sakura Haruno, my likes are my family, by blood or adoption I love them both. My dislikes are people that treat others badly for something they have no control over. My hobbies include becoming faster, learning the upgrades of Radical Good Speed, and cooking. My dream is to help my teammates accomplish theirs, and raise a family." She said with a smile.

Jiraiya nodded, "All good, now these dreams of yours… tell me your plan to make it happen so I know what to kick start." He said.

Naruto smirked, "I will be the leaf's hidden shadow. The best assassin, capable of doing any mission needed of me." He said confidently.

"I will be the fan that gives life to the fire of the village. I will be what a true Uchiha is, warriors of the will of fire. I will track down any enemy that plans to extinguish the flames, and destroy them." Sasuke said with a smirk at the thought of tracking any enemy he wants.

"I will be the swift flame of the village, capable of being at any place in moments, defend any ninja that needs it, keep the roots of the village strong while spreading the Will of Fire. I will be the world's fastest and most efficient eliminator," Sakura said with a smile.

Jiraiya nodded, "Hmmm, this'll be interesting. I've got a demonic assassin, an unshakeable tracker and a flaming speed freak."

Kakashi stepped forward, "Yeah. Sorry for interrupting, but Naruto, what do you mean when you say that thing about the sand and sound villages?" he added.

Naruto frowned, "I used the soul drain while I was in the forest, I snagged a sound village gennin. He had memories of his orders for the Chunnin exams and….well I'm not quite sure how to put this…" he trailed off in thought.

Jiraiya smacked him on the head, "Stay with us brat!" he shouted obnoxiously.

Naruto rubbed his head, "Fine ya old creep, the kage of sound has joined the sand village in an alliance and together they plan to wipe Konoha off the map." He said angrily.

"…."

The whole group was silent.

Suddenly, Sarutobi Hiruzen appeared in a swirl of leaves. "I couldn't help over hearing, did you say we're going to have an invasion on our hands?" he said as he looked at Naruto seriously.

Naruto nodded, "Yep, turns out Orochimaru is heading the attack. He's the kage of sound." He replied.

Sarutobi glanced at Jiraiya and nodded, before disappearing in another swirl.

Jiraiya turned to Naruto, "Alright brat, you're gonna start writing everything you know about the invasion down. Have it done by tomorrow because in war time the first thing the Hokage will want is a council meeting. Even though everyone will hate it." He said with a sigh.

Sasuke spoke up, "all the more reason to start training today Jiraiya sensei, Kakashi sensei."

Kakashi and Jiraiya nodded, "Alright, first up I will examine your fighting styles. You will each spar with Kakashi until you manage to land a hit." Jiraiya said.

Sakura stated in shock, "But he's a Jonin!"

"Maa, 'I'll go easy on you kids." He said with an eye-smile.

Jiraiya nodded, "c'mon kids, get at it!"

##########

_The next day…_

"Alright, Naruto your with me first." Jiraya said as he walked to the neighbouring clearing of team seven's training grounds.

"goodluck Nii-san!" Sakura yelled as Naruto ran off behind Jiraiya, waving back to his family.

Naruto stepped into the clearing and walked up to Jiraiya who was sitting down in thought, "What's first sensei?" he asked.

Jiraiya smirked, "First thing, did you finish your report for the Hokage?" Naruto nodded and passed him a scroll, "Good. Now, I know only what I've read about your skills, so I want to see some of them first hand. Come at me with each skill set you currently have, I figure go in order of each person you've absorbed." He said excitedly.

Naruto raised a brow, "Coolio, let's begin!" Naruto said as he suddenly sunk into the ground, using mizuki's earth jutsu.

Jiraiya smirked, 'smart kid, getting out of my sight so that he can have an advantage.' He thought.

Jiraiya trusted his instincts, and turned while raising his arm. Perfectly timed to catch the massive shuriken in his grasp. "That's some power brat! If only you had an ace that I hadn't read of yet." Jiraiya said with a smirk.

"How about this?" Jiraiya turned to see Naruto holding a one-handed ram seal, "Katsu!" he said.

Jiraiya used a seal less substitution, narrowly avoiding the explosion. "Hmmm, the file didn't say anything about that." Jiraiya said loud enough for Naruto to hear, "how's your defence?" he asked as he formed hand seals. "FIRE STYLE: FIREBALL JUTSU!"

The fireball came racing out of the tree line where he was hidden and raced towards Naruto, who just finished a set of his own hand signs, "EARTH STYLE: MUD WALL JUTSU!" Naruto purposefully over powered the jutsu, blocking him from sight completely.

The massive fireball crashed into the earth wall and exploded, actually managing to damage the wall some. It began to fall back on top of the position Naruto was in.

*BOOM*

The wall hit the ground solidly, creating an arena like area which Jiraiya leapt onto. "Hope I didn't kill the brat…" he mumbled.

"Unlikely," he turned in time to see a single shuriken flying at him. Jiraiya kicked up a piece of rock, intending for it to stop the blade, 'should be enough for one,' he thought.

"SHURIKEN SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!"

The single shuriken turned into twenty, "Shit!" Jiraiya said as he quickly leapt into the air, barely making it clear over the assault Naruto led.

He landed and rolled to his feet, looking up to see another shuriken flying at him, 'how many does this kid have?' he thought as he dodged to the side, letting the shuriken lodge into the ground behind him as he looked to where Naruto last was, only to see it empty. 'This brat's good.' He thought.

Jiraiya scanned the area, but no physical sign of Naruto made him lighten his guard slightly. That's when Naruto launched his attack.

Dropping the henge, Naruto appeared behind Jiraiya in place of his shuriken. He leapt at Jiraiya, swinging a kick at his head.

Jiraiya dropped under the kick, and watched as Naruto flew by. "Very good brat, alright then, let's see the next absorption."

Naruto nodded and sent some chakra into the seal on his sheath, all the shuriken in the clearing disappeared in a puff of smoke as they returned to their seal.

Naruto stood and pointed at Jiraiya. Who raised a brow, "That's your plan? I must say, your first one was much better."

Naruto only smirked and replied, "BONE BULLET!"

Jiraiya leapt to the side as a bone shot from Naruto's fingers and flew within inches of his head, "Shit!" he yelled again as he continued to dodge the barrage of bones.

Naruto spun in place and continued to shoot with a smirk on his face, "Too easy old man!" he taunted.

Jiraiya got frustrated, "Brat!" he yelled as he threw a kunai at Naruto.

Naruto stopped launching the bullets and whipped out his hidden bone blade,

*SCHLING*

With one swipe, Naruto split the kunai in half. His smirk never leaving his face.

Jiraiya raised a brow, "So you got a decent attack combo, but how about this!" he through one kunai and ran through hand signs, "KUNAI SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" the single kunai became ten.

Naruto withdrew his blade and raised a single arm over his eyes, not taking any other precautions to stopping the kunai.

Jiraiya's eyes widened in shock, 'brat's gonna get hurt!' he thought as the first kunai hit Naruto…

…and bounced right off.

Jiraiya watched in shock as every single kunai bounced right off of Naruto, seemingly leaving no damage. Although he was pushed back a fair bit by the force.

The barrage ended and Naruto lowered his arm, smirk still present. "That was fun, next skill set?" he asked.

Jiraiya snapped out of his funk, "Sure brat, let's go!" he yelled while forming some hand seals, "let's see what you do this time! FIRE STYLE: FIREBALL JUTSU!" he launched the fireball at Naruto who was holding a one-handed seal.

"WATER STYLE: WATER DRAGON JUTSU!" Naruto shouted as he drew his sword and swung it at the fireball.

A water dragon shot out of the hole in kubikiri bocho, the water appearing from the storage seal Sasuke had crafted into the steel. It burst through the fireball, losing some of its size but continuing onwards still.

Jiraiya leapt over the attack with a frog-like manoeuvre, "very good! You're way past gennin level!" Jiraiya spun in mid-air and performed some seals, "SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" he yelled as six versions of Jiraiya appeared.

Naruto's smirk grew, "A clone battle? Bitch please." He said, holding a half bird seal and summoning sixty water clones from the leftover water of the water dragon.

The Jiraiya clone got in formation and sprinted at Naruto's clones, the battle was over pretty quick. The shadow clones where more skilled and able to use jutsu while maintaining their forms, but Naruto still had ten to each one.

The end result; Jiraiya standing by himself facing the last three water clones and the original Naruto. "Well?" Naruto asked with a smirk, as the clones dropped into puddles.

Jiraiya tightened his arm plates and drew a kunai, "These arm plates are stronger than most steels, they'll easily handle your blade for a while." He said as he took a stance.

Naruto chuckled and shouldered his blade, forming another half seal, "You'll regret that choice." He said as he disappeared into the thick mist that was generated.

Jiraiya stood in a defensive stance and focussed on the chakra he could feel instead of what he could see, "Very good Naruto." He murmured as his sensing ability was blocked by the chakra in the mist, although honestly, if he tried harder he could've found Naruto, 'I AM a Sannin after all' he thought.

Suddenly the mist dropped and Jiraiya froze, seeing Naruto standing in front of him, blade no longer in his grasp, "That's it?" Jiraiya asked with a shrug.

Suddenly he heard the rustle of fabric and metal, he looked down to see something truly amazing...if not uncomfortable.

Jiraya's arm plates weren't damaged in any way, but Naruto had gotten inside his guard and cut every piece of string that held them in position without him noticing. He had also cut the rope that Jiraiya used as a belt, causing his pants to be around his ankles, "BRAT!" Jiraiya yelled as he pulled up his pants and flung a shuriken at Naruto.

The shuriken hit home and destroyed the water clone that stood in front of Jiraiya, "What?" he asked in shock before a blade rested lightly on his shoulder.

He turned to see Naruto, still smirking. "Well this is fun, how about my last skill set that I took now?" he said, mocking Jiraiya.

Jiraiya was pissed off, "DAMN GENNIN!" he yelled as he knocked kubikiri off of him and donkey kicked Naruto, dispelling him in a splash of water as the blade fell to the ground.

Jiraiya blinked in shock, 'why would he just leave his blade hear? And what is this final skill set?' Jiraiya thought, looking down at the sword.

He looked closer and saw that the seal work on the blade was re-absorbing the water that it released, and a little more from the grass, 'clever, restack for the next battle. But where is he?'

Jiraiya turned around fully, four times. The clearing was completely empty, "Damn kid, where are you?" he said out loud.

"Look up!"

Jiraiya looked up in shock to see Naruto _floating_ in midair, two small wind funnels sticking out of his feet. "What the hell?" Jiraiya asked in shock.

Naruto pushed his left hand at Jiraiya, pushing chakra through his arm tubing. "DECAPITATING AIR WAVES!" he yelled, launching a vacuum of wind blades at Jiraiya.

Jiraiya was hammered into the ground, and sliced twice before he managed a substitution.

Appearing under the trees, Jiraiya yelled "YOU CAN FLY?! WHAT THE HELL!?"

Naruto landed softly and faced Jiraiya from the opposite side of the massive and now destroyed clearing. "Now for my final jutsu." He muttered, dropping the smirk and focussing chakra into the tubes into his arms while holding his arms above his head, "Here it goes!" he said, looking up and channelling the chakra into a large ball.

Jiraiya's eyes widened again, 'rasengan? No, that's wind chakra. But it's huge!' he thought as a large whitish ball appeared above Naruto's head, about five times larger than Naruto himself.

Naruto levitated a little off the ground, 'NOW!' he thought as he hurled the ball forward, "WIND STYLE: AIR MISSILE!" he yelled as the ball flew.

Jiraiya watched as the giant ball flew towards him, "FUCK!" he yelled as he realised if he dodged, the attack could hit the memorial stone in the next clearing.

The jutsu struck the area Jiraiya was standing in, but slowly started shrinking before it could detonate.

Naruto saw the possible danger his jutsu could create, "Okay, so last resort jutsu only." He muttered as he flew towards his creation, picking up his sword along the way.

Back with Jiraiya, he held the massive wind ball at bay with a rasengan. 'I just need to outlast the chakra in his jutsu and it'll dissipate!' he thought, concentrating on holding his jutsu strong.

Naruto landed next to him, "I got it," he said as he aimed his hand at his own jutsu.

Jiraiya looked shocked at Naruto's arrival, "Stop kid you can't just-"and the jutsu was gone.

Jiraiya stumbled a few steps and released his rasengan, "Brat, what the hell was that?" he asked as he sat down.

Naruto sheathed his sword and wiped his hands against eachother, "Just a little jutsu I've been working on in my own free time. And by the way, those were all things picked up from people I've absorbed, not including Kyuubi's tricks and my own skills. Get it?" he said with a smile.

Jiraiya nodded and held his head, "Now I get why Sarutobi sensei wanted me to train you…" he mumbled to himself before standing. "Alright, I think it's fair to say you won that spar… but remember if this was a fight to the death I would've killed you in an instant." He said.

Naruto raised a brow, "Oh really? And how would you have done that?"

Jiraiya smiled, "One, I'm faster than you. Two, I discovered the weakness to each of your defences. Three, I'm a sannin. It's kinda my thing." He said jokingly.

Naruto sat down, panting heavily at the exertion. "So what are these weaknesses?" he asked scowling at the prospect.

Jiraiya smirked, "for your defensive jutsus, you focus on the height of the wall too much thus unbalancing it. Your bone defence is extremely good, but obviously penetrable through your body's orifices. Sound about right?" he said cockily.

Naruto blinked and leaned back onto his blade that he stabbed into the ground behind him, "Alright you got me, ya know, you're the first person to notice any of these faults." He said still frowning.

Jiraiya sat in front of Naruto, gaining his full attention. "That's why I'm here. To find your weaknesses and make them strengths."

Naruto jumped to his feet and leaned on his blade, "Well what are we waiting for!? Let's get started!" he yelled in excitement.

Jiraiya laughed, "One things first Naruto, you owe an old student of mine a visit. How bout I come with you?"

Naruto raised a brow, "Old student? Who?"

Jiraiya smiled widely, "Hiashi hyuuga."

####################

"Lord Hiashi, Jiraiya-sama is here to see you with Naruto Uzumaki."

Hiashi looked up from his desk and nodded to the branch member, "thank you, I'll see to this one myself."

Hiashi stood to his feet with a curious smirk on his face, 'I wonder what these two are together for, has Jiraiya sensei told Naruto of his father?' he pondered as he walked down the halls of his compound.

He arrived at the front door of the complex and waved to the gate guards. They opened the gate, letting the two become visible.

Jiraiya looked over to Hiashi and smiled, "how've ya been Hiashi?" he bellowed with a laugh as he approached the hyuuga-head.

Hiashi bowed, "Very well sensei, and you?" he said respectfully.

Jiraiya laughed and pulled Hiashi into a one-sided hug, "ahh none of that! I've been great, say how are the hyuuga women faring lately?" he said with a perverted giggle.

Hiashi stepped out of the hug and glared at his sensei with Byakugan eyes, "You will not enter their baths again." He ordered.

Jiraiya giggled, "We both know you can't stop me Hiashi-kun hehehe."

*WHACK*

Jiraiya was face-down on the ground, with Naruto standing behind him after thunking his head with the backside of his blade. "Ero-sensei." He muttered.

Hiashi blinked at Naruto in shock, "much like your father. Though he did not wield one of the seven swords." He said, while Jiraiya pulled himself to his feet.

Before Jiraiya could say anything else, Hiashi spoke, "Now, would you two please follow me to my office? We have some matters to discuss I believe." He turned and walked back through the house.

Jiraiya and Naruto followed, with Naruto admiring the huge family complex, and Jiraiya admiring the huge family's women. 'hehehe' he thought quietly remember their measurements…

Hiashi turned to a branch member they were passing, "Could you get Hinata for me? Tell her to be in my office in ten minutes." He ordered as he continued walking.

The branch member bowed, and ran down an adjoining hallway.

Jiraiya saw this and frowned, "Branch members? I thought you were getting rid of that Hiashi." He whispered.

Hiashi pointedly walked faster, forcing the two behind him to increase their paces as well.

Hiashi entered his office and ushered the other two inside before closing the door and activating a seal on the door.

He dropped his emotionless mask and glared at Jiraiya, "Are you trying to get me killed? It is a slow work but I am making progress concerning the seal. Do not mess this up!" he said harshly.

Jiraiya waved his intimidation tactic off, "I was just checking. Before you carry on with this, can we discuss a few things?" he said while sitting on one of the guest cushions.

Hiashi sighed and took his own seat, "very well."

Naruto looked on confused, 'what the hell am I witnessing? The most unemotional man in the world sharing friendly banter with a perverted hermit…This is weird.' He thought to himself.

Jiraiya turned to Hiashi seriously, "Do you still have the journal?" he asked.

Hiashi nodded, "Of course I do." He said pulling a sleeve up and showing a basic storage seal on his arm, "I've never left it alone." He finished with a small smirk.

Jiraiya pulled a small piece of paper from his pack and placed it over the seal, they both morphed together to form a more complex seal, then it poofed.

Naruto covered his face from the sudden rush of smoke with his arm, once it dissipated he looked over to see a small diary in Hiashi's hand.

"So what's the big deal about this book?" Naruto asked.

Hiashi smiled and passed the book to the stunned Naruto, "This is the journal of Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage of Konoha. Husband of Kushina Uzumaki, and father of Naruto Uzumaki." He stated simply.

Naruto froze, holding the book in his hand. "th-the fourth? My….dad?" he asked, staring at the book.

Jiraiya patted Naruto on the back, "I know it's a big deal, but we need you to stay with us for now Naruto. I'll explain later. Ok?"

Naruto blinked and hugged the book to his chest, 'my family' he thought happily, nodding at Jiraiya with a teary smile.

Hiashi nodded, "I have held up my end of the bargain as promised Naruto. I am wondering if you'll partake in another deal with me?" he said, grasping Naruto's attention.

Naruto nodded, "What do you need Hiashi-sama?" he said, still smiling.

Hiashi smirked, "I need some sense beaten into my nephew, but if it comes from anyone inside the clan, it would only strengthen his hatred for the clan. I need you, the supposed dead last, to knock him of his pedestal of fate. Can you do it?" he asked.

Naruto nodded, "Sure, what do I get in return?" he asked.

Jiraiya cut in, "I have an idea. You see Hiashi, Naruto has an extremely powerful offence but a weak defence. There is a certain jutsu I think would be more than sufficient payment." He said with a smirk.

Hiashi's eyes narrowed, "What makes you think I'd give a prized hyuuga jutsu over for one small payment?"

Jiraiya smirked, "Because we both know there is much more Naruto could give you, why not make it worth his while this time since you are running out of bribes?" he said confidently.

Naruto sat back confused as Jiraiya and Hiashi had their stare off…

A minute of silence passed… "…fine." Hiashi said.

Naruto let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. "So, what is this defensive jutsu?" he asked.

Hiashi opened a draw in his desk and pulled out a scroll, "The Kaiten, or Heavenly Spin. This jutsu expels pure chakra from all three-hundred and sixty one chakra points, or tenketsu, and creates an unbreakable barrier around the user. It will be hard for you to learn. But I guess with Jiraiya-sensei helping, it could happen if you spent the full month before these finals training on it." He said, the frown not leaving his face.

Naruto smiled and leapt over Hiashi's desk.

"THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHAN KYOUTHANKYOU!" he yelled excitedly as he hugged Hiashi, who was shocked beyond belief.

Jiraiya pulled Naruto off of Hiashi and placed him back on his ass, "Calm down brat." He ordered. Naruto just sat stupidly with a smile on his face continuing to grow.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

The three men in the room turned to the door, "Come in." Hiashi said as he straightened his clothes and posture, donning the mask of the hyuuga head.

The door opened and what Naruto saw truly frightened him.

"Hello father, Naruto-kun." Hinata said as she was pushed into Hiashi's office in a wheel chair.

"wha-what happened Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked, getting up and walking over to her.

The hyuuga that pushed her in, bowed and left. "Neji's last hit was sped up faster than he even planned. He rushed to finish the technique, and missed the tenketsu. He sent chakra into my spine instead." She said sadly, too depressed to stutter.

Naruto fell to his knees in front of her and held her hand, "Will you ever walk again?" he asked, looking up hopefully.

Hinata nodded, "According to the village's medics, I will be able to walk again someday even run. But I will have to give up being a ninja." She whispered.

Naruto nearly dropped the journal and started crying, "No…it can't be true." He whispered, tears falling from his eyes, 'Kiba died, Hinata's crippled? How could I have let this happen?'

"Thanks for calling her here Hiashi." Jiraiya said seriously, grasping everyone's attention.

Hiashi nodded, "remember your promise sensei, what can you do for her?" he said while passing Jiraiya a folder.

Jiraiya opened the file and smirked, "Merely a disk problem? Tsunade will fix this easily." He chuckled out.

Hinata looked at Jiraiya, hopeful for the first time since her crippling, "Tsunade-sama is coming back to the village?" she asked.

"Ugh…I have to go get her first," Jiraiya said, making Hinata smile.

Naruto stood, still holding Hinata's hand "This Tsunade will heal her?" he said, holding his book to his chest.

Jiraiya nodded, "If she comes back here, she will heal Hinata." He said while standing up, "We'll be off now Hiashi, thanks for everything. Do I still have a room here?" he asked.

Hiashi stood himself, "You do, though it is not as luxurious as your first was. And it is far away from the hyuuga bath houses." He said firmly.

Jiraiya frowned, "That's a bummer, oh well I guess I'll be back later tonight for sleep then." He finished with a smile, while pulling Naruto out of the room.

Naruto turned back to Hinata one last time before being dragged out, "I'll come and visit Hinata-chan! I won't let my friend be cooped up in a wheelchair by herself!" he barely managed to say before the door closed between them.

Hiashi stepped behind his daughter, who was smiling towards the door. "It appears you feel deeply for him. Am I right?" he spoke quietly.

Hinata blushed lightly and nodded, "Hai father, in fact I think I may…umm, love him." She whispered out the last few words, barely letting Hiashi hear them.

Hiashi's eyes widened, "That's a bit…forward." He said carefully. "I wish you luck in your pursuit then Hinata." He mumbled as he opened the door to his office 'maybe there is a way to earn Naruto's favour and make my daughter happy at the same time…' he thought.

A branch member ran in and pushed Hinata's wheelchair out of the room while she blushed up a storm, "Where would you like me to take you Hinata-sama?" the branch member asked as Hiashi closed his door and sighed.

Hiashi sat at his desk and looked at a picture which had Jiraiya, Minato Namikaze, Tsume Inuzuka and himself. He smiled, "I'm glad he found me Minato, I hope your boy wields my clan's jutsu properly." He said as he picked up a pen and continued his paperwork.

###########################

"Made it just in time." Jiraiya said as he and Naruto jumped into the clearing team seven used as their training grounds.

Naruto nodded, smile still on his face as he held the book to his chest in one hand and the jutsu scroll in the other. "Yep, who're you training next?"

Jiraiya giggled perversely, "Your female teammate, she's gonna be a sprouter kid trust me!" he said as he continued giggling.

A weight suddenly smashed into his chest, throwing him into the trees he just jumped down from. "You do NOT talk about Sakura-chan like that!" Sasuke ordered as he pulled his weapon back.

Jiraiya crawled back into the clearing, his chest heaving. "Yep, sure kid." He wheezed out as Sakura kissed Sasuke's cheek.

"Calm down Sasuke-kun, he won't try anything." She said with a wink before walking over to Jiraiya. "What's first sensei?" she asked as the two walked to the other training field.

Sasuke had a light blush from the kiss Sakura gave him, "hehe Aniki and Nee-chan sitting in a tree!" Naruto sung from his place next to Kakashi.

Kakashi chuckled and caught the punch Sasuke through at Naruto, "you can't deny it Sasuke, he is right. Now get back to your laps." He said.

Sasuke grumbled and picked up a nearby tunic, he threw it on and started running around the outskirt of the clearing again.

Naruto watched on, still coddling his items. "And me sensei?" he asked.

Kakashi glanced at what Naruto was holding, "I'll hold your stuff for you, now grab the tunic Sakura was using and send chakra into it." He said as he received the book and scroll.

Naruto did so and slouched immensely, "Shit! Chakra weights?" he asked.

Kakashi shook his head, "Nope, gravity seal emblazoned on the tunic." He explained.

Naruto sighed and took a step forward; it felt like he was walking through mud. "This is annoying." He said as he started running like Sasuke was.

Kakashi eye-smiled, "That's the spirit!" he yelled, 'Naruto's would be about twice the pressure of Sasuke's since he's stronger, but Sakura's pressure was almost as high as mine would be because of her speed. She really is unbelievably quick for a gennin. I wonder what Jiraiya-sama is teaching her….'

######################

"HOLY SHIT!" Jiraiya yelled as Sakura appeared in front of him in a burst of speed, "You really are insanely fast! I could barely track you!"

Sakura smirked and de-activated 'RGS', "Yeah, but I have really low defence other than my earth wall. And I can't seem to be able to channel my earth chakra through my weapons. Think you can help?" she asked while looking at the sannin hopefully.

He nodded, "Yep, luckily you have the same elements as me. I may be more fire focussed but I know about forty jutsu of each kind. Let's start your defence then I'll show you some tricks with elemental channelling." He said with a grin while forming handseals.

"Earth style: Stone essence!" suddenly his skin turned light brown and he seemed stockier.

Sakura smirked, "I already know that one sensei." He said as she activated her own with twice as many hand seals.

Jiraiya smiled and closed his eyes, "so you do have a decent defence, but you must know you can't maintain your speed while…where the hell did you go?" Jiraiya dropped his 'lecture voice' when he realised she was no longer in front of him.

"Over here sensei!" she yelled from the opposite side of the clearing, her armour still active.

Jiraiya smirked, "Shunshin?" he assumed.

She smiled in return and activated her chakra skating ability, "Nope." She said as she shot across the clearing at him.

He gasped in shock, before being tackled into a tree…and through it.

He stood up and deactivated his jutsu, "How are you doing that?" he asked.

She dropped both of her techniques and smiled at him, "My chakra skating technique, it's like water walking except I burst the chakra from my feet with every step. It propels me forward and keeps me up to five centimetres off of the ground. I just need to master the stone essence than the technique will be perfected" She said.

He blinked in awe, 'oh my log, this girl's control is amazing!' he thought. "Umm, well. What other jutsu do you know?" he asked.

She smirked before he mouth suddenly appeared full, "Mud Flow river!" she yelled as she spat a mud-ball at her feet. Suddenly a small river of mud started flowing from where she stood and threw Jiraiya off-balance.

She stopped the jutsu as he fell on his ass. "You good sensei?" she asked smiling.

He got to his feet, "Yeah, anything else?" he said wiping mud from his hair.

Sakura looked up in thought, "Well other than those two, my only earth jutsu are the ones Naruto taught me, and my last resort earth jutsu. The Earth spears." She said with a smile.

Jiraiya nodded, "In that case, let's skip the earth jutsu. You seem to already have a good hold on earth chakra." She smiled at the praise.

Sakura then frowned, "But I can't seem to master my fire chakra like I have earth, it doesn't make sense. Fire is my main element so why can't I get it?" she asked.

Jiraiya pondered for a moment, "I have a theory; you see, earth takes control to use and you're a control freak. But fire is alive, it is wild. All fire jutsu are just the user conjuring it and guiding it. fire and lightening are the only elements where control isn't the focus, but power." He explained.

Sakura's eyes widened at the explanation, "I get it, I need to increase my power, not my control." She said.

Jiraiya nodded, giving her a leaf. "Kakashi said you could already make decent progress with this. Show me where you're at." He ordered.

She nodded and channelled her fire chakra, the leaf dried out. Jiraiya nodded, "Yep, your control is perfect. You need to add power."

"How much though?" she asked.

Jiraiya smiled, "For an exercise like this, use the same amount as a substitution. But instead of using all of your chakra, just the fire portion. Got it?" he asked.

She nodded and grabbed another leaf, she stood in silence for a moment concentrating. Then she began channelling the chakra the leaf literally burst into flames. Pushing Sakura back a few steps. "Woah." She said with a smile.

Jiraiya smiled, "Now we're talking! Let's get you on the second exercise!" he yelled as Sakura grinned widely at him.

########################

Sasuke fell to his knees, "Shit! I can't keep going!" he said, frustrated at his weakness.

Kakashi pulled him to his feet and pulled the gravity tunic off of him, "You've done exactly four times MORE than what I expected of you Sasuke. It's time for your break, you'll train with Jiraiya-sama soon." Kakashi said with a smile.

Sasuke nodded and stumbled over to a tree that Naruto was running up and down…on his hands. "Otouto, how can you keep going?" he asked.

Naruto paused for a moment, panting hard he said "Sakura may be faster, and you may be smarter, but physically I am stronger!" he said pulling himself up the tree again.

Sasuke chuckled at Naruto's enthusiasm. 'I'm proud of him.' He thought as he leaned back against the trunk of the tree.

Naruto got to the top again and turned to 'run' down again when he noticed Kakashi standing next to him, keeping up easily. "So Naruto, I was wondering. What is your plan to defeat Neji?" he asked.

"Attack him with the same level I attacked Kankuro, because that's what he'll expect. It'll put him on the ropes and he'll start to second guess himself. Then I show off my long distance fighting to tire him out. I'll force him to surrender and suffer the embarrassment of losing to a 'nobody'. I'm sure it'll knock him off of his 'fate' pedestal." He said as he continued.

Kakashi hmm'd "Seems like a decent plan, but what if he was holding back as well when he fought Hinata? He may be faster or stronger. Or have a few jutsu that will tip the scales in his favour."

Naruto frowned, "You forget sensei. When in doubt, shoot the mother fucker." He said cockily as he launched a bone bullet through the tree he was climbing down.

Kakashi chuckled, "Even so, I think you should consider this: Neji is a Taijutsu master, play with his mind, show him that you can stop all his Taijutsu attempts. Then take him down with something unexpected." Kakashi offered as an alternative.

Naruto hmmm'd, "Ok, that makes sense. I think I know what to do now sensei, thanks" Naruto said with a smile as he came within viewing distance of the ground.

Kakashi eye-smiled "Very well, I think you'll win Naruto. Just don't do anything foolish, Promise?" "Nope."

Kakashi chuckled again and flipped onto his feet while simultaneously pulling out his book.

Naruto walked to the very base of the tree, ending up on his back on the ground. He sighed happily, "Alright, I'm good for now." He said turning to Sasuke. "When do you start with Ero-sensei?" he asked.

Sasuke shrugged. "Right now!" Jiraiya yelled as he and Sakura entered the clearing.

Naruto looked up at Sakura, "How'd it go?" he asked.

She smirked and took a breath before letting it out, it came out as fire. "I'd say it went well." She replied with a smirk.

Kakashi's eye widened, "The final step? You already mastered it?" he asked in shock. She nodded and grabbed the tunic from Kakashi's grasp.

"Yep!" she said with a smile while pulling Sasuke to his feet. "Your turn Sasuke-kun." She said.

Sasuke nodded and walked over to Jiraiya, "Sasuke, the first part of your training will be a bit different to the other's. For now, we'll focus on your seals."

Sasuke nodded but asked, "actually, I have a question Jiraiya-sensei."

Jiraiya raised a brow as the two arrived at the second clearing, "Shoot kid." He said.

Sasuke fell to his knees and bowed, "Please allow me to sign the toad summoning contract." He begged.

Jiraiya stumbled in shock, "Wha-What the hell kid? Get up!" he said pulling Sasuke to his feet. 'Well, I was planning to give it to Naruto. But he already said he needs a stealthy summons…toads are combat and tracking, not stealth.' Jiraiya thought for a moment, staring at Sasuke.

Sasuke looked up hopefully from his still bowing form, 'please say yes!' he thought.

Jiraiya nodded, "Alright. I'll let you sign the contract." He said.

Sasuke straightened from his bow and gave a classic Uchiha smirk. "Domo arigatou sensei!" he said enthusiastically…for an Uchiha at least.

##########################

The teams training progressed in this manor for the first week.

Naruto managed to do the Kaiten partially, and with the help from Hinata who visited the team's training twice, he now could channel the chakra through all his chakra points. Now he just has to do so all at once.

Sakura could channel her fire chakra throughout her whole body now, heating up any liquid within her reach to the point of evaporation in moments. Her claws had an interesting reaction to the fire chakra. If she swiped with the fire chakra focussed to the fingers of her gauntlets, a blue flame would extend her claw's reach up to a foot. While if she sent the chakra to RGS (Radical Good Speed), every place she stepped on becomes alight with fire the same for every place she kicks.

Sasuke was able to summon up to the second level of toads, them being the size of a small carriage (Still taller than his sensei, and pretty wide too). He bonded with a toad called Gamatoki, a toad that Sasuke could easily ride on. Gamatoki was a dark blue, and wielded a spiked shield as a weapon. He was primarily defence and tracking, but he could spit a ball of oil over a mile. Sasuke's sealing abilities were increasing dramatically, now passed the novice level and classified as a true seal-user.

The team was having a great time training and hanging out when Tsume came to visit the house one evening…

###########################

Knock. Knock.

"Coming!" Sakura yelled as she exited the dining room to answer the door. Opening it, she saw who had knocked, "Tsume-sama!" she declared in surprise.

Tsume looked shocked at Sakura, "Oh, umm hello there. I thought this was Sasuke's house, Hokage-sama said I would probably find Naruto here.." she trailed off, unsure of what to say to the girl.

Sakura pulled her elder inside, "Yeah he's doing the dishes. Out whole team lives here together." She said.

Tsume's eyes widened in recognition, 'oh right, it's that Sakura girl from Kiba's class..' she thought as she remembered Sakura.

The two entered the kitchen to see a grumbling Naruto rinsing the last of the clean dishes and Sasuke sitting in a chair reading Naruto's journal aloud, "Huh? Hey Naruto, did you know your dad was a seal master?" he asked in shock as he took a bite out of an apple.

"Ahem!" the two boys turned and saw Sakura guiding Tsume into the kitchen. "Naru-nii, Tsume-sama wants to talk to you." She said.

Naruto put down the last plate and nodded, "Okey Dokie. Follow me Tsume-sama." He said walking past her and into the lounge room.

She followed while looking around with a frown. 'Where's Akamaru?' she thought.

Naruto waved to the couch, offering it to Tsume, she sat. Finally seeing Akamaru on couch next to her, he looked weak.

"Are you here to help Akamaru?" Naruto asked as he sat down in another seat.

Tsume sighed, "Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done for him." She said sadly.

Naruto sat straight in shock, "What?!" he yelled.

Tsume looked at Naruto, "let me ask you, how long does the average dog live?"

Naruto looked confused at the question, "umm I have no clue." He said.

Tsume looked back at Akamaru. "The average dog lives seventeen years. But the dogs of the Inuzuka clan can live as long as a human." She said patting Akamaru's head.

Naruto's eyes widened, "That's amazing, how does it work?" he asked.

Tsume turned to him, "At the birth of the puppy, a young child fuses a part of their chakra with the newborn. This forces their life forces to become one. Meaning as long as one live, so does the other. It also means that if one dies…" she trailed of sadly.

"The other dies as well," Naruto finished sadly, realising that Akamaru was slowly dying. "How do we stop it?" he asked.

A tear fell from Tsume's eye, "You can't stop his body from dying, which is why I need to ask you a favour Naruto." She said seriously.

Naruto blinked in shock, "What could I do? I'm no medic." He said.

Tsume fell to her knees and bowed, "Please, drain Akamaru's soul, help a piece of my son live on!" she practically begged.

Naruto looked at Tsume in shock, "Stop begging, please!" he said as he fell to his knees as well and pulled Tsume to her feet, "I'll do it, but please stop crying." He said softly.

Tsume sat back on the couch, "Thankyou Naruto." She said.

Naruto nodded before frowning, "But how do you know about my technique?" he asked.

"As the head of a ninja clan, I can access the file on any ninja below Jonin rank. All the clan heads should know about your use of the Soul Drain technique by now." She explained to a stunned Naruto.

Naruto nodded and walked over to Akamaru, who barked up at him, "Thanks Naruto." He yipped out.

Naruto swallowed and nodded, "Sure thing Akamaru. Now?" he asked Akamaru and Tsume.

Akamaru nodded, "Yes please, it hurts." while Tsume nodded, tears in her eyes as she petted Akamaru for the last time.

Naruto formed the one hand-seal he needed to activate the jutsu and placed a hand on Akamaru's head. "Ninja Art: Soul Drain."

Akamaru howled one last time before being sucked into Naruto's mind.

Naruto fell to his knees, clutching his head…

##########################

**Mindscape.**

"Hello little ninken." Zabuza said as Akamaru appeared in front of the trio inside Naruto's mind.

Naruto landed next to them, "This will be weird." He said as he walked over to Akamaru.

Naruto pulled Akamaru's essence from his body, separating it into it's two base forms.

Naruto absorbed the first part while Akamaru's form appeared from the second part. He looked healthy again. "Yip!" he barked as he jumped onto Naruto and licked his face.

Naomi jumped up and joined the hug, "A puppy!" she exclaimed happily. Akamaru jumped into her arms and licked her face happily.

Naruto realised that Akamaru was talking as a dog again and that they couldn't communicate, 'weird' he thought.

Naruto picked up Akamaru's corpse as everyone was facing his spirit and threw it towards Kyuubi, who ate him whole in respect of… not chewing him to pieces. "**Kit, I think you should head back out to Tsume. We'll talk later tonight." **The Kyuubi said seriously.

Naruto nodded, "See you all later." He said before he faded back into his body.

Naruto came back to consciousness with a smile. "He's safe Tsume, happy too." He said as he looked to Tsume, time seemed to have only moved a minute outside.

Tsume smiled and picked up the collar left behind, "thank you Naruto. The Inuzuka clan owe you a favour." She said as she stood.

Naruto stood as well and shook his head, "No it doesn't. By absorbing Akamaru, I got his jutsu. You owe me nothing, if anything I owe you for letting me help and helping me become better as a ninja." He said.

Tsume nodded, "Still, I thank you for letting my son and his partner live on inside you." She said as she walked out. "I'll show myself out." She said as tears started to pour from her eyes again.

Naruto let her leave and sighed, "Wow, that was…something else." He muttered, seeing and _smelling_ the world around him in a whole new light.

Sasuke and Sakura entered and sat down next to him, "You okay Otouto?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto sighed again, "Yeah." He muttered.

Sakura hugged him and the three sat for a moment in silence.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Sasuke stood, "I'll get it." he said walking towards the door.

He opened it to see an Anbu officer, "The Hokage requests team seven at a council meeting tonight at nine o'clock." The Anbu said before disappearing in a shunshin.

Sasuke blinked in shock, "Really? Is now really the best time for this?" he asked to the sky. "Dammit." He muttered as he walked back into the house and towards the lounge room.

He walked in as Sakura and Naruto got to their feet. "Who was it Sasuke-kun?" she asked.

Sasuke sighed, "An Anbu messenger. We have to attend a council meeting in twenty minutes."

Naruto sighed as well, "Wanna get going?" he said quietly.

The other two nodded and the three of them began to head to the meeting…

#######################

"Welcome Team 7" Hiruzen Sarutobi said as the three walked in.

The three gennin bowed to the council and the Hokage. "What is it you need from us Hokage-sama?" Sasuke said, the three had elected him as the spokesperson of team seven.

The Hokage frowned, "As you all know, I addressed the three of you as you were training yesterday. Could you please tell us the reason why?" he asked.

Sasuke nodded, "My teammate came across the knowledge of an impending invasion and we assume you oversaw the discovery being revealed to the rest of the team with the Hokage's viewing jutsu."

Hirusen nodded, hiding the pride he felt for team seven. He was about to continue but he was interrupted.

Sakumi Haruno stood up and shrieked, "Hokage-sama! The demon plans on attacking the village!"

Some of the civilian council yelled in agreement, while most of the room sat in silence. Ibiki Morino, head of the village's criminology department stood. "SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP!" he bellowed.

All the civilians cowered in fear of the 'Sadistic Mind Breaker' and sat down muttering.

"Thankyou Ibiki-kun." The Hokage said while Ibiki sat down himself.

Sarutobi turned back to team seven, who held different emotions on their faces. Sakura looked ashamed of her mother, Naruto looked sad at the accusation and Sasuke looked…actually Sasuke wasn't standing with his team anymore.

Sarutobi blinked and heard a shriek, he turned to see Sasuke standing in front of Sakumi, who had fallen back from her chair.

Sasuke glared at the pink haired banshee, his Sharingan blazing, "You do not talk about my teammate that way." He ordered.

Sakumi was shocked that the 'Perfect Uchiha-sama' would talk to her that way, so she just sat quietly.

Sasuke turned and walked back to his team, "I apologise for my actions," he said with a bow towards the Hokage.

Sarutobi nodded, "They were justified. Now, I would like Naruto to inform the council of how he learnt of the coming invasion." He said.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, "Hokage-sama, it is an A-rank secret. I'm afraid I'm not allowed to talk about it while civilians are in the room."

A fat civilian who didn't care much for ninja laws yelled, "What makes you think you have the right to keep secrets from us?"

Sasuke didn't answer, the fat man took that as him winning the conversation. He was wrong.

Sakura leaned around Sasuke, "It's the law moron." She said as if she was lecturing a child. The fat man bristled and went to yell at her when he was interrupted.

Inoichi Yamanaka stood, "Excuse me, but I thought we were here to plan for a WAR?" he emphasized, reintroducing the seriousness of the situation.

Sasuke was about to step forward when Naruto moved instead. "You are right Inoichi-sama." He said.

"I discovered the information through a gennin of the sound village. He attacked our team during the exams, I stopped him with the help of Rock Lee. Then I learned from him about the impeding attack. I did not learn any specifics, but I know that the sand and sound villages plan to strike during the third part of the Chunnin exams in the final round. The Otokage is confident that their secret weapon will be ready then. Unfortunately, I have no idea what this weapon is." Naruto said in a professional tone.

Shikaku Naara frowned, "Well this sucks. I think we should start preparing for this 'secret weapon' odds are it is either a ninja or in possession of a ninja that will be somewhere in the stadium at the time of the final round…the question is, which ninja." He said.

Shibi Aburame nodded alongside Shikaku's assessment, "then it seems that the most logical course of action would be to capture all the higher up ninja and those that are important to the sand and sound villages." He said as many other clan heads nodded as well.

Homura, one of the council's advisors and one of the two civilian council heads cut in, "I'm sorry, but how can we take the word of a…boy that was known for pranks, seriously on a subject such as this?"

Danzo, the man who was a sit-in for the Uchiha clan's leader and member of the civilian council smirked, 'at last, a chance to reign in the Kyuubi.' "I was informed that he has a jutsu that absorbs a person's soul and memories, essentially eating his opponent and absorbing anything he needs."

The whole council looked at Danzo in shock, the civilians in fear at his words and the ninjas in shock that he just revealed such a secret.

The Hokage stood, "Danzo Himura, you have broken a law of information exchange concerning an A-ranked secret. You are sentenced to life in prison." He ordered.

Danzo stood as well, matching the Hokage's stare with his own, "I broke no law, I was sharing a rumour I've heard around the village. I had no idea it was true." He said, acting the part of the 'innocent civilian'.

Hiashi glared, "all clan heads have access to such information, you would've known as you are currently in a stand-in for the Uchiha clan's head." He said.

Danzo smirked, "alas, I am afraid as a stand-in I do not have those rights. As you all know, I've been busy organizing the Chunnin exam final's setup, which is where I heard this rumour. The civilian stalls don't organise themselves you know." He said, solidly covering up his deception.

Sasuke cut in before anyone could respond, "Excuse me Hiashi-sama, did you just say this man was acting as the head of my clan?" he asked.

Everyone turned to Sasuke in shock, except for Danzo who turned in anger, "Yes, this is Danzo Himura; you act as though this is your first time meeting him." The Hokage said.

Sasuke nodded, "It is. How is it that this stranger represents my clan?" he said.

Chouza turned to Danzo with a confused look on his face, "I thought you were seeing him every fortnight to help integrate Sasuke into village laws and clan laws?" he asked.

Danzo started to sweat, 'if I lose the seat of the Uchiha my political power will drop immensely! What do I do?' he thought.

The Hokage glared at Danzo, "You have been shunning your duties as a clan head, this may very well put the village itself in danger! Sasuke, it is within your power to elect whoever you want as the stand-in until you receive the status yourself. I request that you change who's in power right now." He all but ordered.

Danzo glared at the Hokage, 'BASTARD!' he thought as he leaked a weak killing intent.

Sasuke nodded, "I apologise Danzo-san, but I cannot trust someone I do not know-"Then let us get to know each other Sasuke-san" Danzo said, although it sounded like an order.

Sasuke shook his head in the negative, "I'm sorry, but by the sounds of it you've been brushing off your duties in favour of making a few bucks at the exams. Therefore, I request…Dan Higurashi to hold the place of Uchiha clan head until I choose to take over the position." He said.

Danzo bristled, "NO! I won't allow it!" he said as if someone would care. He was wrong.

The Hokage smiled, "Danzo, please remove yourself from the Shinobi side of the council arena. You seat on the civilian side is still available." He said.

Danzo glowered at Hiruzen. 'DAMMIT! I was soo close!' he thought.

The Hokage turned to Dan, who sat quietly near the back of the civilian side of the council room. "Dan-san, would you please take your seat amongst the Shinobi of this council-room?" he asked.

Dan blinked, "Umm sure thing Sarutobi. Ugh I mean, Hokage-sama…" he said as he got up and walked over to sit between Hiashi and Shikaku.

Dan looked as if he felt really awkward, until Shikaku patted his shoulder, "I haven't talking to you in a while Dan-sensei." He mumbled before turning back to his sleep.

Dan smiled and chuckled a little, 'it IS nice to be back around those I can trust' he thought as he nodded to Hiashi, who nodded in return.

The Hokage turned back to the gennin. "After the events I've witnessed tonight, I think this is a Shinobi only matter. Team seven, I ask that you write a full report and hand it to myself. I will make copies for the clan heads and we will discuss possibilities." He said, dismissing the hall of councilmen.

All the clan heads in the room, including Dan, disappeared in a Konoha shunshin, showering the civilians with leaves. Sakumi huffed, "Damn ninjas." She muttered as the civilians walked out.

###############

Team seven returned home tiredly, "I'm going to bed." Sasuke said as he dragged himself upstairs.

Sakura hmm'd in agreement and followed after him.

Naruto was already asleep, curled up like a dog would be on a couch in the lounge room…

Chapter end.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen: the results of training, secret mission!

There was only three days until the end of the training month, Kakashi called team seven to meet at midday on their teams training field…

"Alright guys, I will test you three once more. And I expect you to pass, got it?" he said with a smile.

Team seven sat in front of their sensei, the only visible change from the start of their training appeared to be that all of them packed on a bit more muscle. And Sasuke upgraded his sealing emblem, showing that he progressed to the next level.

"What's the test sensei?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi eye-smiled and pulled out two bells, "Same as last time, but I will be playing for real. Jiraiya will be watching, so feel free to use what he taught you. You have two hours. Ready?" he said as team seven stood to their feet.

Naruto smiled, "Ready sensei." He said as he made a hand seal.

Sakura stood, "This'll be easy." She said.

Sasuke just stood with a smirk, "Hit it Naruto."

Kakashi chuckled "I'll take that as a yes then."

Naruto activated his jutsu, "HIDDEN MIST JUTSU!" he yelled as the field was covered in a thick mist. It dissipated to show the three gennin gone without a trace.

Kakashi pulled out a kunai and scanned the area, 'very good. I couldn't trace them at all, though I probably could've with my Sharingan.' He thought.

Kakashi spun and blocked a swipe from Sakura, her gauntlets activated. "You've gotten faster." He said as he kicked at her.

She used her skating ability to launch herself backwards and sunk underground.

Kakashi smirked, 'hit and run tactic. Very smart against someone who is stronger.' He thought.

He suddenly ducked as a kunai flew where his head last was, Kakashi turned to the right to see Sasuke holding three more kunai. He ran to Kakashi's left and threw another knife. Kakashi dodged again, 'he's obviously trying to distract me… or maybe lure me somewhere?' he thought as he dodged a third kunai.

Sasuke took a few more steps then stopped. Kakashi copied his movement and then frowned, "what's your game Sasuke?" Kakashi asked, he scanned around him and noticed the other two gennin weren't in view.

Sasuke smirked and stabbed his last kunai into the ground in front of him. "Activate." He said.

A seal lit up on each of the kunai, making Kakashi's eyes widen, 'shit!' he thought as the seals activated.

A red barrier appeared around the four sides of Kakashi. "Gotcha sensei." He said as he put a hand on the barrier. "Fire!" he yelled, causing small flames to be launched from the four corners of the barrier.

Kakashi spent the next five minutes dodging, "Impressive Sasuke! This would've destroyed many Chunnin! Unfortunately, I'm faster than all of them!" he taunted as the chakra in the seals ran out and Sasuke fell to a knee.

Kakashi was panting lightly as he walked over to Sasuke, 'that was exhausting, such heat dehydrated me quickly and any hit from those flames would've surely crippled any movement.' "Nice try Sasuke." He said as he reached out to restrain Sasuke.

Sasuke looked up smirking, his Sharingan blazing, "NINJA ART: CHAMELEON!" he said in victory as he disappeared from Kakashi's sight.

Kakashi stumbled in shock, 'huh, that was pretty smart.' He thought while releasing the Genjutsu, "KAI!"

He looked where Sasuke was, only to see he had used the distraction to escape. 'Very smart' Kakashi thought.

Suddenly a light mist rolled in, 'guess it's Naruto's turn' Kakashi thought as he took a defensive stance.

A few moments passed in silence…

…

Kakashi rolled forward as a shuriken flew by, then back as another came from the opposite direction. 'how is he able to be at two places at once?' Kakashi thought as he dodged another shuriken, this time from the front. 'Another?' he thought in shock as he continued to dodge.

The attacks suddenly stopped, 'is he done?' Kakashi thought

The mist didn't lift, "I'm not liking this." Kakashi mumbled,

"TSUUGA!"

Kakashi turned in shock just in time to be hit by a rotating flying Naruto and launched into the air. After the impact, the Naruto that hit Kakashi burst into water.

Kakashi righted himself in the air, "that was shocking." He stated as he started to fall back into the mist calmly.

"WATER STYLE: WATER DRAGON JUTSU!"

"EARTH STYLE: MUD BALL JUTSU!

"SEALING ART: ANTI GRAVITY PULSE!"

Kakashi looked around him to see something which honestly frightened him. "Oh my." He said.

Looking down, there was a light blue field, suspending Kakashi in the air. 'This is new' he thought as the other two jutsu winded towards him, the dragon from his left and mud ball from his right.

Kakashi threw one kunai out of the field of the sealing barrier, the seal was disrupted, causing Kakashi to fall through the air towards the two A-ranked jutsu.

Kakashi made another hand sign, 'haven't used this one in a while.' He thought before clapping his hands above his head as he dove head first towards the gap in between the jutsu. "Wind style: motion sickness." He simply stated.

His jutsu cut the a space in the air around him, causing a vacuum to suck him towards the ground, meaning that suddenly he sped up to extreme levels, barely dodging the jutsu as they clashed behind him in mid-air.

**BOOM**

The two jutsu clashed and the force propelled Kakashi downward, towards his students who were staring, shocked at Kakashi's manoeuvre.

He landed amongst his students. "Well, Ninjutsu and Genjutsu don't seem to be working against me…although I must say, pushing me away from any items I could use to substitute with and then absolutely obliterating me…that tactic would've killed many Jonin I know. Unfortunately, I've been in a situation similar to this before." Kakashi stated as he turned around, seeing that he was surrounded by his students.

Kakashi stopped, facing Naruto "And when did you learn Inuzuka techniques?" he asked.

Naruto smirked, "Just before I learnt this one, KAITEN!" Naruto yelled before spinning, the chakra expelling from his tenketsu.

Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi were all hit by the jutsu. But Sasuke faded from existence, 'Genjutsu!' Kakashi thought in realisation. Sakura turned to mud and was splattered, 'mud clone!'

Kakashi was spun round twice before being thrown back into the centre of the clearing. "Wow, I did not expect that." Kakashi said as he got to his feet, holding his ribs in pain.

Naruto stood straight and pulled out his blade, "Since you say our jutsu won't be enough to beat you, how about Taijutsu and Kenjutsu?" he said with a smirk, taking an offensive stance.

Kakashi stood straight and winced, "That's a little unfair, I can't fight properly with this injury." He said.

Naruto smirked, "oh what a shame, how about we make it more interesting?" he said as Sasuke faded into existence next to him.

"We've won this time sensei." He said as he activated his Sharingan and pulled out a seal. Placing it on his palm.

Sakura appeared in a burst of speed and activated RGS, "What do ya say sensei? Taijutsu?" she asked.

Kakashi chuckled and lifted his headband, "Let's get serious." He said, opening his Sharingan eye and charging at the trio.

Naruto stepped forward and swung his sword as Sasuke stepped back. Kakashi was forced to dodge the swing by jumping over Naruto, right into Sakura's foot.

"SHOCKING FIRST BULLET!"

Sakura's kick impacted the log Kakashi substituted with, shattering it into oblivion. Kakashi appeared behind the duo and threw a punch.

Using his Sharingan, Sasuke threw his palm in front of Kakashi's fist, catching the punch "Activate!" he yelled.

One hundred volts was sent through Kakashi, instantly knocking him unconscious.

Team seven looked in shock as Kakashi fell into his back, defeated.

Naruto blinked, "Did we actually just beat a Jonin?" he asked.

Sakura activated her 'mystic palm' technique and began healing the bruised muscles Kakashi earned from the 'Kaiten' "Not just any Jonin, an elite!" she said in shock.

The two looked to Sasuke who was on his knees, praying in front of the destroyed log. He clapped and stood up. "A moment's silence." He said.

…

…

The three gennin stood and bowed in respect for the fallen log. "Amen." The three said in unison, ending their prayer.

"That, was extremely amazing." The three turned to see Jiraiya walking towards them, "Although, the challenge was to get the bells, you guys over did it a little." He said.

The team smiled as a Naruto clone ran over and passed the bells to Naruto, he held the bells up in victory, "You mean these?"

Jiraiya blinked in shock, "When did you get those?" he asked.

Sakura smiled, "When I first charged in, I grabbed one. He turned around as I was going for the second."

Sasuke smirked, "I grabbed the second when I activated my chameleon jutsu."

Naruto grinned as he passed the bells to Jiraiya, "They gave 'em to me coz I can hide from anyone in a seconds notice."

Jiraiya burst out laughing, "hahahahahaha! Are you guys sure your gennin?! This is ridiculous!" he continued laughing.

Sakura prodded Kakashi's arm, "I think I'll take sensei to the hospital." She said as she waved Sasuke over.

He pulled out a seal and placed it on Kakashi, "That's should do it." Sakura grabbed Kakashi's foot and lifted him easily,

"Anti-Gravity seal?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke nodded, "Yep, go for it Sakura." He said.

She nodded and activated her weapons, "meet you guys at Ichiraku's!" she said as the two disappeared.

Jiraiya grinned, "Let's get going then!" he said.

#################################################################################

"Team Seven. You are requested along with Jiraiya-sama for a mission." A Bear masked Anbu said from his crouch in front of the four.

Naruto blinked in confusion before slurping up the last of the noodle in his bowl. "Eh? But we have the exams! We can't leave on a mission!" he said.

Sakura nodded as she placed her bowl down, "I guess we have been requested, hopefully it's a short one." She said.

Sasuke smirked, "I think it will be, if it's the mission I'm thinking of at least."

"I think you're right," Jiraiya said as he placed down the payment for the noodles, "We'll be at the tower in five Anbu-san." He answered the Anbu.

The Anbu nodded and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Let's go!" Naruto said as he jumped to his feet and raced off.

Sakura and Jiraiya followed after him, grins on their faces.

Sasuke turned to Ayame, "Ayame-chan, would you please come over to the house for dinner the night after the finals? I'm afraid team eight will be joining us, I hope you don't mind?" he said with a small smirk.

Ayame blushed, "S-sure Sasuke-kun, what time do you want me?" she said.

His smirk grew, "I want you all the time," her blush deepened, "but dinner will be served around seven. See you there." He said.

Sasuke turned and activated his Sharingan, pulling out a seal. "Sealing Jutsu: Jutsu Amplification." He said before following with an amplified long-distance shunshin, straight next to the door of the Hokage's office.

Sakura jumped in shock at Sasuke's sudden appearance, "Woah, Sasuke?" she asked.

He just smirked as Naruto and Jiraiya arrived, lightly panting. "Man, you two sure are fast." Jiraiya said as Naruto fell against the door.

It fell open with his weight, dropping him to the floor. "Ouch."

The Hokage looked away from a frustrated Anko. "Ah, here you are. Please come in." he welcomed.

Anko frowned as team seven and Jiraiya took their seats. "Look here old man. This gennin was lying, it is impossible to handle the Curse Seal!" she said angrily.

"Say that to my face." Anko froze in shock at the dark chakra that suddenly overwhelmed her. She turned slowly to see Sasuke sitting perfectly calm, a smile on his face…

…and his curse mark covering his entire body.

Anko whipped out a kunai, "Stay away! You'll kill everyone! The seal will make you!" she yelled.

Sasuke raised a brow and the mark receded, showing his control. "Really? I think I have control over such a novice seal array." He said.

Anko dropped her kunai in shock, "I-Impossible!" she said as she leant against the Hokage's desk.

Jiraiya spoke up, "It is not. He explained what he can see to me and it makes perfect sense. In all honesty, I thought it was a single extremely complex seal. But looking at it as three different seals set up to work together, it's actually quite basic." He said.

Anko stood in silence for a moment before dropping to her knees and bowing, "Get it off me. Please." She whispered as tears poured from her eyes.

The Hokage coughed, grasping everyone's attention. "I have a room set up for this mission, although it will involve all of you." This news shocked everyone as they thought only Sasuke and Jiraiya would be needed. "Sasuke, you will be the one to modify the seal and isolate the three components. This will be extremely painful, so Sakura, I hope you've mastered your three medical jutsu."

Sakura nodded, "I have one that can minimize the pain Anko-san will feel." She said.

Sarutobi sighed, "Jiraiya, Sasuke could perform this easily on himself because he could use the curse mark's power to overwrite itself, therefore, I will need you to hold up a containment field around them to hold in the battling chakras. I know you can do it."

Jiraiya scoffed, "Yeah I can easily." He said with a smirk.

Sarutobi nodded and turned to Naruto, "Naruto…after Sasuke isolates the three portions, I want you to absorb the portion of Orochimaru's soul that is within the seal." He said.

Naruto's eyes widened, "Is that even possible?" he asked.

The Hokage nodded, "in theory, it is definitely possible. The curse seal was Orochimaru's last act on his way from leaving Konoha. I'm hoping you'll be able to understand what his goal was at the time. Can you do it Naruto?" he asked seriously.

Naruto nodded, "Once Sasuke tells me where to pull from, I can do it." He said determinately.

The Hokage nodded and stood, passing Jiraiya a scroll he said, "The room has been set up in accordance to Sasuke's design, it is the second guest office downstairs. Good luck."

Team seven walked out of the office, followed by a teary Anko and Jiraiya.

#####################################################################################

The team arrived at the prepared room and entered, Anko shivered at the coolness of the room. She scanned the room to see three small sealing arrays that were connected by a ring of seals. The whole setup was surrounded by a larger seal. "Woah." She whispered.

"Sit here and take off your shirt." Sasuke said.

Anko sat in the center of the seal array and pulled off her jacket and shirt, letting the gennin get a view of her 'assets'.

She looked up to notice the two male gennin looking away and trying to focus on the seal work and Sakura looking at her form jealously.

Anko sat under the scrutiny of the gennin for a few moments in silence. It did not last long, "Oi brats, when is this shit starting?" she asked.

Sasuke turned to Jiraiya and nodded, Jiraiya held the ram seal and sent a pulse of chakra into the outer array. A blue barrier formed around the group inside.

Anko looked at the barrier in awe, not noticing Sasuke mould his chakra, "Here we go." He said quietly.

Anko felt his hands slam into the junction between her neck and shoulder, her body burned in pain. "AAAAHHHHHHHH!" she screamed.

Sakura placed a hand on Anko's forehead, "Medical Ninja Art: Numbing" she said as the pain Anko felt dulled to a mere pinprick on her back.

Anko frowned as she felt the chakra in the seal swirl, "ugh." She breathed.

Sasuke took a deep breath and pulled out his seal's chakra, using it to attract Anko's seal to activation. It worked.

Naruto looked on as Sasuke's arm disappeared in a funnel of black chakra, "Shit!" he heard him say.

"Aniki?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke watched Anko's seal with his Sharingan, "Her seal is more primitive than mine, he put too much of his soul in and now the array is unbalanced, I've isolated it but I can't restrict it! Naruto I need you to drain it now!" he ordered.

Naruto nodded and stepped closer, "Where is it?" he asked, trying to see the seal.

Sasuke pulsed his chakra and the dark funnel appeared to only be coming from a smaller space now. "At the base of the chakra!" Sasuke said as he focussed on holding the other two portions in place.

Naruto nodded and pushed his hand over the bursting chakra, "NINJA ART: SOUL DRAIN!" he yelled.

The dark chakra began swirling into Naruto's palm, the force of the sudden change knocked Sakura off, letting Anko feel the pain again.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHH!" her scream was blood curdling and she was crying heavily.

In a second, it was over.

Anko fell onto her face, passed out from the pain. Sasuke fell onto his ass, his hands looked burned but otherwise he was fine. Sakura stood straight again, "Let's get her home." She said as Jiraiya lowered the outer seal.

He walked over as Sakura put Anko's cloak back on her, "Everything good here?" he asked.

"Umm, I think so?" Jiraiya turned and looked at Naruto only for his jaw to drop in surprise.

Naruto was looking at his arm which had a tattoo of a snake winding around it in black. "What does this mean Ero-sensei?" he asked.

Jiraiya blinked in shock, "Umm, I'm about ninety percent sure that's the proof of the snake summoning contract." He mumbled.

Naruto laughed and threw his fist into the air, "SWEET!"

Sasuke stood and pulled out a seal, placing it on Anko, she suddenly became as light as a feather. "Sakura, I think the hospital is the best place for her right now, would you do the honours?" Jiraiya said.

Sakura nodded and activated RGS, "Sure, what we doin after?" she queried.

Sasuke was about to say something when Naruto suddenly collapsed, unconscious. "Looks like we're done for the day Sakura-chan. He couldn't supress the jutsu apparently." He said.

Sakura nodded, "See you at home then." And she was gone.

Sasuke pulled Naruto onto his back, "Let's get you home otouto." He said as he walked out of the room.

Jiraiya smiled as the team left, "These kids are gonna be legends, I can feel it." He muttered as he left as well.

#######################################################################################

**_Mindscape._**

"Where is he?!" Naruto said as he appeared next to Zabuza, who was standing in front of Mizuki and Naomi who was holding Akamaru.

Zabuza was scanning the room, "I don't know, his body hasn't appeared yet." He said.

Mizuki held Naomi defensively, "He didn't have a body when you absorbed him! It was pure soul!" he said worriedly.

A dark chuckle was heard around the room, "Kukukuku well this is unexpected, a user of the soul drain jutsu. And they sucked me from Anko-chan's seal." It said.

Naomi shivered in Mizuki's hold, Zabuza yelled "Show yourself you snake!" Akamaru barked and suddenly turned.

Dark chakra appeared and swirled around a single point in front of Naruto and his souls where Akamaru was looking, forming Orochimaru's appearance, "Well well, little Mizuki, you've grown up. And I believe you are Zabuza of the mist village correct?" Orochimaru said. He was dressed as a Konoha Jonin but had his headband slashed, showing that he had abandoned the leaf village in favour of his own. It was as he appeared at the time he placed Anko's seal.

Naruto's brow furrowed in concentration as a cage appeared around Orochimaru's soul. "Gotcha!" he said in victory.

The soul glanced around his cage, "Well, I didn't think the boy would be the user of this jutsu, should've paid more attention." He muttered.

Naruto smirked as he walked up to the cage, "Now to finish this!" he said as he held the last sign, "HA!" he yelled as he thrust his hand at the cage.

Orochimaru fell to his knees and was yanked against the bars, "AH!" he yelled in pain and frustration as he was being ripped apart.

Suddenly, he was gone.

Naruto gasped, as he gained partial memories of being Orochimaru, the creation of the curse mark, his three most used jutsu at the time, the beginning of the sound village… "DAMN! That's painful!" Naruto said as he sat down on the couch within his mindscape.

Zabuza stayed standing, staring at the cage "What just happened?" he asked.

Naruto grunted as he sat straight, "I just absorbed my second soul. The first was Zaku, now part of Orochimaru." He answered.

Mizuki frowned, "What about us? why are we here and not fully absorbed?" he asked.

Naruto looked at his feet in shame, "i…I was lonely," he said quietly. "I thought, that if I had someone with me I wouldn't feel as lonely." He looked up and smiled at Naomi who had grabbed his hand.

She smiled at him, "You won't be lonely anymore Naruto, we're here with you. And even if he doesn't say so, kyu-chan is with you as well." She said.

Naruto grinned at Naomi and picked her up, she squeaked in delight "Thanks Naomi-chan!" he said happily.

Zabuza grabbed Naruto's shoulder, "Kid, you better be heading back now. The pink one is asking for ya." He said gesturing to the tv, where Sakura's voice could be heard coming from faintly.

Naruto nodded and placed Naomi on her feet, he clasped Mizuki's hand in a handshake, then fist-bumped Zabuza. "Thanks everyone, I'm off! Catch ya later!" he said as he ran from the room happily.

The three sat on the couch and turned to the screen, Zabuza glanced at the cage to see it empty, 'I wonder where the fox went…' he thought as Naruto regained consciousness.

########################################################################################

Naruto came back to consciousness with only one thought: his arm really hurt.

He shot to a sitting position and started rubbing his arm, accidently pushing Sakura away. "o wow o wow ow! My arm! Why does it hurt?!" he asked as Sakura placed her hands on his wrists again, her healing chakra soothing the pain.

She shushed him, "Its ok Naruto, Sasuke already analysed the seal on your arm. Since it was connected to Orochimaru's soul and chakra it is trying to find a new source, it wants you to activate it. You just need to summon a snake; any snake and the pain will go away. Got it?" she asked.

Naruto nodded and gritted his teeth, 'it really hurts!' he thought, though the pain was dulling quickly thanks to Sakura.

Sakura pulled Naruto to his feet, "Sasuke is out the back, when you get out there follow his hand seals and swipe some blood on your tattoo. After that pump out as much chakra as you can and see what you summon alright?" he nodded at her explanation.

She smiled, "ok. 3, 2, 1. GO!" she said as she let go of his hands.

The pain crashed down on Naruto as her leapt out the window of his room and ran around the corner of the house to find Sasuke.

He found him showing Kin the back gardens. The two boys made eye contact and Sasuke immediately ran to the open area of the yard, forming the hand signs for a summoning jutsu slowly so that Naruto could copy him.

Naruto did so, and as the two arrived at the centre of the back yard they both swiped a bleeding digit across their tattoo/palm and yelled. "SUMMONING JUTSU!"

The backyard was covered in smoke before it was slowly blown away. Kin and Sakura looked on in shock from their place in the garden patch.

Naruto looked down from his place on top of the snakes head, "Woah!" he exclaimed.

The snake he summoned was a dark purple and had an odd pattern drawn on its head, "So you are the boy who recently acquired the snake's summoning tattoo?" it asked, "I am Manda, king of the snake clan and each time I am summoned I require sacrifices, I see this will do for now." Manda finished as it glanced at Sasuke and the house sized toad he stood on.

Sasuke dismissed his toad quickly, not allowing Manda to try to harm it "Manda! I am the successor of the toad summoning contract as Naruto is the successor of the snake! I know the laws involving summoning rights! You must issue the challenge before you can demand anything!" he yelled.

Manda appeared to frown, "You are correct. Fine, Naruto is it? i have two challenges, choose one and we'll get started." He ordered.

Naruto shouted "Sure thing!"

A few moments passed in silence before Naruto asked, "So what are these challenges?"

Manda let out a chuckle, "You will only know if you pass one of them, so choose! The first or second challenge?!" he answered.

Naruto frowned, "that's not fair, fine then I choose…the second challenge!" he said.

Manda let out another chuckle, "Combat it is!" it said as he flung Naruto off of its head.

Naruto landed on his feet, "Rules?" he asked.

Manda chuckled, "You may choose up to three others to help you. I offered this choice to your predecessor, but he turned it down."

Naruto smiled, "We'll destroy you! Nee-chan! Aniki! Let's go!" he yelled.

Team seven leapt into action, Naruto opened the fight by pulling out two giant shuriken. "Take this!" he said as he threw them as hard as he could at Manda who thought 'He passed part one, showing that he knows he needs help when fighting a stronger opponent. Over confidence leads to death'.

They bounced off of his scales, barely scratching him. "You'll have to do better than that!"

"EARTH STYLE: SWAMP OF THE UNDERGROUND!" Sakura yelled as she slammed her hand into the ground, immobilizing Manda's body in the massive swamp of oil.

Manda blinked in shock, "You've trapped me, but you cannot pierce my scales. So what will you do?"

"FIRE AND WIND STYLE: FLAMING WIND BULLET!" Sasuke and Naruto yelled in unison as Naruto threw an oversized wind bullet that Sasuke powered up with a fireball.

The giant burning attack slammed into Manda and set it ablaze along with the oil.

The three gennin stood with a satisfied smile, "Too easy." Naruto said.

Manda burst from the ground away from team seven, "Very good, you three are powerful."

The three gennin looked between Manda and the flame, seeing only a snake-skin being burnt. "Damn." Naruto muttered.

Manda scanned the three in thought, 'this boy and his team has already pushed me further than Orochimaru did. He definitely passed the attack portion. Which means I can't demand sacrifices anymore. How's his defence though?' "My turn!" it said as it dove as Naruto.

Naruto took a step back and smirked, pulling out his sword and de-activating his weights as Manda opened its mouth.

Manda's mouth clamped down on Naruto's position. Only to not fully close.

Naruto stood in Manda's mouth, his blade held above his head holding Manda's mouth open.

Naruto panted at his exertion, "You're stronger than I thought Manda!" he yelled as he made a single hand sign and blew at the roof of Manda's mouth, "WIND STYLE: GREAT BREAKTHROUGH!" he yelled.

The huge push of wind opened Manda's mouth fully and Naruto leapt out.

Manda took a breath then leaned back, "Snake style: Poisonous Gas!" it said as it spat a deadly purple mist at the now gathered team seven.

Sasuke pulled out a seal and stood in front of the trio, facing the gas head on. "Sealing art: Funnel sealing method!" he yelled.

The huge mist suddenly was sucked into a funnel of chakra and completely sealed inside the piece of paper. Sasuke dropped it to the ground as the paper became purple.

Naruto took charge, "Let's try our blind bird combo!" he yelled.

The other two nodded and Sakura activated Radical Good Speed as Sasuke pulled out two seals.

"Let's go!" he yelled as he sent chakra to the tubing in his legs, letting him fly into the air.

Sakura used her extreme speed to appear under Manda, her gauntlets activated "SHOCKING FIRST BULLET!" she yelled as her kick launched Manda into the air.

Sasuke threw a seal at Manda which exploded in a flash of light, blinding him from Naruto's charge from above.

Naruto nosedived at Manda and clapped his hands, "WIND STYLE: MOTION SICKNESS!" he yelled.

His fall increased to incredible speeds as he pulled out his blade, flipping onto it's blunt side.

"Ballistic hammer!" he yelled as the blunt side of his weapon impacted Manda's back, sending him plummeting to the ground where Sakura placed Sasuke's other seal. Sasuke sent out a pulse of chakra activating the seal as Sakura reappeared next to him, "Gravity multiplication!" he said.

A gravity field incased Manda's falling form and his falling speed increased tenfold. 'anyone else would have died from this combo,' it thought as it plummeted to the ground, 'unfortunately for them, I am a true earth master!' it thought.

Manda impacted the ground and rose with no harm to its form, using the earth as cushioning sand. "Nice try, now I have something to say." The three gennin stood together, panting in exhaustion. "You have passed my test, Naruto. You are now a snake summoner." It said before dispelling in a cloud of smoke.

Naruto and the team stared at the area where Manda dispelled from. "…I passed? What was he testing then?" Naruto asked out loud.

Sakura shrugged, "I dunno, maybe he just wanted to see if you were strong. Or maybe it had something to do with fighting with teammates instead of alone?" she queried.

Sasuke sighed, "The point is, two members of this team now have two of the upper level summons. Now Sakura just needs to find Tsunade Senju and we'll have a complete set." He said.

Sakura frowned. "Slugs? I don't want to summon slugs, I case you didn't notice, I'm all about speed. Slugs are slow." She pointed out.

Naruto blinked as Sasuke said back, "Well the only fast upper level summons are the Monkeys, Rabbits and Leopards. The monkeys are only used for the Sarutobi clan, the rabbits are in possession of the hidden grass village and the scroll for the leopards was stolen from the Hokage tower at the same time the second's lightening sword went missing."

Naruto watched on confused as his two teammates fussed over the likelihood of their squad being the ones to discover a new summons that had speed.

Kin walked up next to Naruto, "It's almost like those two are married already, isn't it?" she said.

Naruto nodded before realising who he was talking to, "Kin-chan? What are you doing here?" he asked.

Kin smiled, "After Sasuke turned me in, I applied to become a Konoha Shinobi. I'm on probation right now but in six months, I might be put on a gennin team!" she said excited.

Naruto returned her smile, "That's great Kin-chan!" he said.

Kin laughed at Naruto's enthusiasm, gaining the attention of the other two. "What's so funny?" Sakura asked as she walked over to the duo.

Naruto smiled, "I'm just happy that Kin-chan will be safe with Konoha now! Isn't it great?!" he yelled.

Sakura glanced at Kin, wondering if she was trustworthy. Sasuke stepped up and put a hand on Sakura's shoulder, "She's good Sakura-chan. In fact, she expressed interest in joining the family, and my clan. What do you think?" he asked.

Sakura smiled at Kin, "Well, if you trust her I guess I can…" Sakura realised what Sasuke was implying with his last line, "What do I think? Why would that matter?" she asked as she looked up at him in shock.

Sasuke smirked and kissed her forehead, "I'm pretty sure where my future is heading Sakura-chan. And I know that future starts with you." He said as he stepped away with a smirk.

Sakura blushed bright red as Sasuke walked to the other two, "Dinner time anyone?" he said as he continued walking passed.

Naruto smiled, "RAMEN!" he yelled as he jumped from his place next to kin and flew at Sasuke, who was holding his arm up towards the sky.

Naruto grabbed Sasuke's offered hand and lifted him as if he weighed nothing…which he did due to the anti-gravity seal he activated.

The two flew off at an incredible speed as Sakura snapped out of her shock. "Wait for us!" she said as she activated Radical Good Speed and shot after them, grabbing kin in the process.

Kin screamed as the four of them shot towards Ichiraku's at insane speeds, "I'M GONNA DIE! AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

#########################################################################################

Chapter end.

Hello everyone :)

Firstly, I just wanted to thank you all for the feedback, especially those who gave positive feedback, hehe. I was hoping you guys could help me out with a little decision concerning this story.

Anko Mitarashi will become a part of team seven's family. But I have a few ways to go about doing so.

What do you think will fit best? And if you have another idea that you would like me to try, feel free to tell me.

In appreciation of Sasuke removing the seal, she becomes one of his future wives.

In appreciation of Naruto taking the piece of Orochimaru out of her, she joins Naruto's future clan as one of his wives.

She becomes another parental figure to the family that is team seven, acting as a big sister/mother role.

Same as 3. But falls in love with Kakashi who becomes a fatherly/uncle like figure.

PM me your answer and if you have a reason behind your choice, please feel free to tell me.

R&R :D


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter fifteen: Chunnin exam Finals Round One!

**_Mindscape._**

"You ready brat?" Zabuza said to Naruto as all the souls in Naruto's being sat on the couch atop the building.

Naruto nodded, "as ready as I'll ever be. I made a promise, I have to show Neji how people are in control of their own fate. I will win!" he said resolutely as he stood up.

**"There's no question about that, I'd be more worried about this invasion and if you have to battle Gaara. Something about that boy seems familiar." **Kyuubi said with a nod of it's massive head.

Naomi hugged Naruto, "You'll wipe the floor with those guys! Believe it!" she said with a smile.

Naruto laughed at her enthusiasm as Akamaru ran around the two, jumping and barking in excitement.

Mizuki picked Naomi up off of Naruto, "She's right, the only people who could actually hurt you in this exam is your own teammates as far as I'm concerned." He said as he patted Naruto's head, "I have seen you grow Naruto, and I must say you are simply amazing." He finished.

Naruto stood happily at all the praise, "Thanks guys. I'll cya tomorrow!" he said as he leapt off of the building and towards the exit path.

##################################################################################

Naruto ran downstairs to see Sakura finishing her breakfast, "Mornin Nee-chan!" he said as he sat next to her.

Sakura smiled at Naruto, "Good morning Naru-nii, you ready for today?" she asked.

He took a chomp of his breakfast, "Yeah! We're gonna destroy the competition." He said with a piece of bacon hanging out of his mouth.

Sakura grinned at his enthusiasm and handed him a napkin, "Swallow before talking nii-kun." She said as she stood up and placed the dirty dishes in the sink.

Sasuke walked in the door, "You guys ready?" he asked.

Naruto engulfed the last of his food, "Aren't you gonna eat aniki?" he asked.

Sasuke smirked, "I already have, you're the one we're waiting on Otouto." He said as he turned and walked towards the door.

Sakura wiped her hands and followed after him, "C'mon Nar-nii!" she said in excitement.

Naruto placed his things in the sink as well before following after them, "What's the time guys?" he asked as he pulled his modified sandals on.

Sasuke turned to him, "We have five minutes to be at the stadium, we'll make it in four." He said as he placed a seal on the bottom of each of his seals. "Activate." He said.

Sasuke was suddenly hovering about a foot off the ground, but it seemed he wasn't able to balance well. "Ready Naruto?" he asked.

Naruto flew into the air as Sasuke unwound his weapon and Sakura activated her skating ability, "Let's go!" Sakura said as Sasuke threw one end of the chain to Naruto and held the other tightly.

Naruto flew forward, pulling Sasuke along behind him as if he was water-skiing, while Sakura ran underneath Naruto.

The three flew across Konoha, Sasuke would lean back and forth whilst adding in a few jumps to avoid hitting anything. Sakura lead the way, racing against Naruto who was flying almost horizontally while pulling Sasuke along.

Sakura jumped onto a building and looked ahead, "There's the stadium!" she yelled.

The boys looked up and saw the stadium, "Ready Sasuke?!" Naruto yelled,

Sasuke smirked, "Do it!"

Naruto picked up speed for a moment before flinging Sasuke forward, Sasuke moved as fast as Sakura was running and entered the stadium tunnel at the same time she did. Sakura de-activated her technique and skidded to a halt next to Ino, who was staring at her arrival in shock.

Sasuke stopped channelling chakra into the seals and slid til he stopped between Shikamaru and Lee, who both sighed and cheered at Sasuke's 'Troublesome Youth'.

The other contestants expected to see Naruto come in after them at the same incredible speed. They were wrong.

The clap of a sonic boom sounded above the contestants, causing them to look up to see Naruto plummeting at them at Mach speeds.

Naruto smirked as he dove towards the ground, he flipped and landed on his feet, kicking up a huge dust cloud.

He looked up from his crouched position to come face-to-face with Neji, who was looking on in shock. "we're not late are we proctor?" he asked casually.

Genma stood in shock at team seven's entrance, 'what in the name of log is going on?' he thought.

Sakura poked Genma's side, "Proctor-san?" she asked.

He snapped out of his stupor as the bell rung, "You all just made it." he said.

The gennin smirked at Genma.

Genma cleared his throat, "Alright, get in line. You are all representing your villages here so show your pride and power!" he ordered.

The gennin fell in line, all standing tall and confident as the Hokage stood, "Welcome everyone to the finals of this year's Chunnin exams in Konoha!" he yelled.

The crowd roared in approval and excitement. "I would first like to thank the Kazekage and the Tsuchikage for attending to watch their finalists. This year's candidates are all amazing in their own rights, mere gennin that are powerful enough to take down an elite when they work together, from varying villages, all can come together to show their likeness and will to move forward! Give them a hand. Let round one BEGIN!" the crowd screamed at the Hokage's speech.

Genma took a step forward and spoke into his ear piece, "Open it up!" he ordered.

On the wall opposite the Hokage's booth opened up, revealing a screen similar to what was used in the prelims, except it showed the tournament in stage format.

"Round one will consist of five fights, Sakura Haruno versus Ino Yamanaka, then Sasuke Uchiha versus Temari Sabaku, then Lee Rock versus Gaara Sabaku, then Shikamaru Naara versus Pikkon Nakatomi, and finally Naruto Uzumaki versus Neji Hyuuga. Let's begin round one stage one!" Genma yelled, projecting his voice throughout the whole stadium.

The crowd cheered at the beginning of the battles as most of the gennin began to leave the arena, leaving behind Sakura and Ino.

As Naruto walked past Sakura, he whispered "Remember, hold back but end it without any risk to yourself. Ok?"

Sakura smiled and nodded, he left to catch up with the other vacating attendants as she turned back to face Ino.

Ino smirked, "I know you may have gotten faster forehead, but I will still win this easily. So why don't you just give up?" she said cockily.

Sakura couldn't help it, she burst out laughing "BAHAHAHAHAHA Are you kidding?! Hahaha!" she continued laughing and fell onto her back, pissing Ino off intensely.

Ino screeched, "SHUT UP FOREHEAD!"

Sakura quietened her chuckling, "Ino, my team spent our last couple of days watching the other team's training methods, and after watching your team for two hours and not even being noticed I can easily say, a battle between you and me will be like a spider versus a flea." She said with a confident smirk.

Genma interrupted the two, "Umm, I guess I'll start the match now. Sakura of the leaf versus Ino of the leaf, BEGIN!" he said before leaping back.

Ino yelled and ran forward, intending on ending the fight with a single punch. "HAAA" she yelled as she swung her fist.

Sakura smirked and easily kicked upwards, deflecting the punch and spinning Ino around. She then hopped onto Ino's head and pushed off.

Sakura landed with a twirl as Ino's face collided with the ground painfully.

**CRACK**

The crowd let out an audible "oooooohh" at the hit.

Ino pushed herself to her knees and noticed the blood dripping from her near broken nose, she glared at Sakura with tears in her eyes, "Do you know how hard it is to look this good forehead? You could've really hurt me!" she said.

Sakura raised a brow, "Umm, Ino we're meant to be fighting each other, of course I'm trying to hurt you. You should be doing the same to me." She said as if she was explaining to a child.

Ino angered as the crowd laughed at her expense, "I'll show you!" she said as she pulled out a kunai and charged at Sakura.

'I probably should play it safe…' Sakura thought as Ino approached, Sakura de-activated her weights with an unnoticeable pulse of chakra.

Ino swung at Sakura murderously, but Sakura easily sidestepped each attack. "So, what exactly are you showing me Ino? That you thought your looks were more important than your ninja skills?" Sakura taunted as she continued dodging.

Ino leapt back and through her kunai at Sakura, an explosive note hanging from the end, "I WIN!" she proclaimed.

Sakura smirked as the explosion engulfed where she stood.

Ino smirked, "Teach you to look down on me forehead," she said while panting.

Ino turned in shock as she heard laughing. "Really? You thought THAT would decide this match?" Sakura said as she stood on the very tips of the grass, her skating technique visible.

Ino stared, "How?" she asked

Sakura smirked and skated quickly to appear an inch from Ino, who fell over in shock "Simple, I'm fast." Sakura said as she skated back again.

Ino pushed herself to her feet and grimaced, "BITCH! You're just trying to act tough so that Sasuke-kun will like you!"

Sakura dropped her technique in shock, "Seriously? You're still going on about that?" she asked.

Ino looked confused, "About what? You can't deny it Sakura, you're trying to steal him from me!" Ino accused.

Sakura's jaw dropped, "Are you fucking serious Ino? Steal Sasuke from you? We've been practically dating for a while now, I think he's made his decision." Sakura said quietly, trying to help Ino keep some dignity.

The crowd laughed at the 'comedy' they were watching.

Ino snarled and pulled out a kunai in each hand, "I WILL SHOW SASUKE-KUN THAT I'M STRONGER!" she yelled as she charged at Sakura as fast as she could.

Sakura sighed, "Guess I'll finish this now." She said as she activated her claws.

Ino swung her kunai in an X, trying to bisect Sakura.

*SLASH*

Ino fell forward, past Sakura as her kunai were slashed into pieces thanks to Sakura's claws.

Ino looked at the two handles she now held in shock, 'she can cut through kunai?' she thought as she turned around.

*SLAM*

Sakura's earth chakra-powered punch slammed into Ino's stomach, flinging her back and into the wall of the arena. Ino collided with the concrete, knocking her out and leaving cracks in the wall.

Genma nodded, "Winner, Sakura of the leaf!" he said as medics came to pick up Ino.

Sakura turned and bowed to the crowd, who erupted in cheers. She then bowed towards the Kage booth, and exited the arena to the waiting area.

#########################################################################################

The 'Kazekage' turned to the Hokage, "I must say, that was an…interesting match," he said.

Sarutobi sighed, "I'm embarrassed that the heir to such an amazing clan acted as such, but I guess some of the gennin got lucky during these exams." He said.

Onoki, the Tsuchikage groaned, "What's with Konoha and their speed demons? I could follow the girl but I know some of my Jonin would've had such difficulty doing so." He said.

Sarutobi chuckled, "I guess she just practiced a lot, I am very proud of her, did you know she was civilian born?"

Onoki's eyes widened, "No I did not, that is quite amazing then." He said as the three turned back to the field.

##########################################################################################

Genma waved his arm, "Next fight of round one, Sasuke of the Leaf versus Temari of the sand."

The two mentioned Shinobi entered the arena, Sasuke leapt from the balcony and ran down the wall to meet up with Genma, while Temari leapt into the air and whipped out her fan, floating down on it smoothly.

The two landed in front of Genma and he nodded, "BEGIN!"

Temari didn't hesitate and pulled her fan to it's first moon, "KAMATAICHI!" she yelled as she swung, sending blades of win at Sasuke. Who dodged with a what appeared to be a shunshin.

Temari looked around the clearing, not seeing Sasuke anywhere, she assumed he was hiding amongst the trees. "HA!" she yelled as she swung.

Everyone watching did so in confusion as Temari suddenly turned away from Sasuke and attacked the trees.

Sasuke stood, smirking while holding a one-handed seal. 'Chameleon jutsu is working perfectly.' He thought as he walked closer.

Temari stopped attacking the trees and stood in concentration, watching the trees. She heard something to her left and turned with a kunai to see…nothing.

The crowd saw she suddenly turned and faced directly at Sasuke as her kunai stopped inches from his head.

Sasuke froze as he looked at Temari, who was looking right at him…but didn't see him.

She frowned and her eyes widened in realisation, "Genjutsu?" she whispered.

Sasuke frowned and dropped low to the ground, just as Temari pulsed her chakra to release the Genjutsu.

Temari looked down in shock as Sasuke's foot flew at her face, kicking her into the air.

She grunted as she righted herself in midair and pulled open her fan, "WIND WALL!" she yelled as she swung her fan, blowing her away from Sasuke and sending a wall of wind at him.

Sasuke frowned and whipped out his kusarigama, "WEAPON STYLE: CUTTING EDGE" he responded, swiping the blade at the wall.

The attack cut a slit in the wall which Sasuke dove through, avoiding the attack.

Sasuke rolled to his feet and pulled his weapon to him, wrapping the weighted end around one arm and holding the blade in the other. He faced Temari who stood at the ready with her fan, about to swing.

The two paused for a moment, the tension in the arena rising at the sudden silence.

Sasuke blinked and activated his Sharingan, "VISUAL JUTSU: SYSTEMATIC REWIND!" he said.

Temari made eye contact with him and the world blurred, it unblurred to show the two gennin at the start of the match. "BEGIN!" Genma said as he jumped back.

Temari looked on in confusion as Sasuke took his first stance again, 'did I imagine that part of the match? Or something else?' she thought before quickly flinging her fan, "KAMATAICHI!" she yelled.

Suddenly the world blurred again and she was back where they were before Sasuke casted his visual Genjutsu, "What was the point of that?" she asked Sasuke as he stood in the same position, his Sharingan whirling.

He smirked, "The point of what?" he asked as he moved on the attack.

Temari leapt back only for the world to blurr again, She was at the point where she leapt back from Sasuke when he kicked her. "WIND WALL!" she yelled as she shot the attack at Sasuke.

The world blurred again and the two were back at the original timeline, "What's happening?" she yelled in frustration.

Sasuke smirked, "Nothing much." He said before throwing the weight of his weapon at her.

She ducked and the world began to blurr, 'okay, were did he attack from last time I ducked?' she thought as the world started to unblurr.

She was shocked to see them back at the point in time where Sasuke just rolled to his feet and took his stance. "VISUAL JUTSU: SYSTEMATIC REWIND!" he yelled.

The timelines blurred together in her mind and she lost focus, 'that's it! I've had enough!' she thought.

"WIND STYLE: TORNADO DROP!" she yelled in frustration.

She span around, whipping her fan with her creating a massive whirlwind.

Sasuke smirked, 'good, her strongest move.' He thought as he deactivated his visual jutsu.

The world blurred and suddenly they were back at the point where Sasuke activated his jutsu. "Now I know your jutsu arsenal." He said.

Temari stared in shock, "Wha-what? Just happened?" she asked

Sasuke smirked, "My visual jutsu just showed me the different ways you'd react to different manoeuvres and jutsu I've done during this battle as well as other things. I've even gotten you to exhaust the majority of your chakra." He said.

Temari lifted her fan and swung it again, feeling the strain on her chakra, she still attacked "KAMATAICHI!" she yelled.

The attack was noticeably smaller as it flew at Sasuke. With his Sharingan, he could actually see the chakra-infused wind blades.

He smirked, 'perfect.' He thought as he charged the attack head on, dodging the wind blades with ease.

Temari fell to her knee, "SHIT!" she yelled as Sasuke dodged the last blade and started to attack with his kusarigama.

Temari feebly lifted her fan to block the first few swings of his weapon when he span the chain of his weapon, causing the chain to wrap around her fan.

He wrenched the fan from her grasp and twirled, flinging the fan away and slamming the weight of his weapon next to her head. It cracked the ground and made a noticeable dent.

Temari looked up in shock at Sasuke's crimson eyes, "Do you concede?" he asked as he pulled the blade into his hand, resting it against her jugular.

She blinked and swallowed, "P-Proctor? I forfeit!" She said.

Sasuke stepped away and resealed the components of his weapon, wrapping the chain around his chest. "Winner, Sasuke of the Leaf!" Genma announced to the cheering crowd.

Sasuke offered a hand to the still shocked Temari, she took it and he pulled her to her feet.

She landed upright with a small frown, "Good match Sasuke." She said as she walked over to pick up her fan.

Sasuke smirked at his victory and bowed to the audience, the cheering multiplied. Then Sasuke bowed to the kage booth and made his exit behind Temari.

##################################################################################

"Now that was a battle!" Onoki said with an excited voice.

The 'Kazekage' nodded, "Indeed it was, I honestly thought Temari would put up more of a fight though, one visual jutsu and she started pushing out unnecessary chakra waste." He said.

Sarutobi smiled, "I am glad you do not have any hard feelings towards Sasuke, he is one in a million." He said with a smile.

Onoki nodded, "Yeah, that's cause the other million was killed." He muttered.

##################################################################################

"Excuse me, Temari-san?" Sasuke asked from behind Temari as the two walked through the hidden corridor back towards the examinees box.

She turned with a scowl, "What?"

Sasuke smirked, "Your part in the invasion is now obsolete." He spoke.

Temari gasped as she turned to run, only to come face-to-face with Sakura's claws as they dripped with an extremely potent paralysis agent…

##################################################################################

Round one, stage three. "Lee of the leaf against Gaara of the sand!" Genma announced.

Lee leapt to the centre of the arena as Gaara sand-shunshined down. "Let us have a youthful battle!" Lee said as he got in his stance.

Gaara just smiled insanely, "Your youth will end here." He snarled.

Genma waved his hand, "BEGIN!" he said before jumping away.

Gaara immediately sent a wave of sand at Lee who started dodging as fast as he could, "Your sand is very fast Gaara-san, but I am faster!" he said as he dodged to the left and ran directly at Gaara.

Gaara stood still as his sand shield blocked all of lee's attacks. "You cannot get past my ultimate defence." He said simply with a dead look on his face.

Lee spent the next few minutes attacking with all that he was, yet he still couldn't get past Gaara's defence.

Lee yelled as he put as much power into a punch as he could, "YOUTH!"

The punch managed to punch the shield away, but it returned before he could land his next hit.

He kicked off of the sand wall and landed near the arena wall.

Gai stood from his place in the stands and yelled, "LEE! LET YOUR YOUTH EXPLODE! TAKE THEM OFF!"

Lee looked up at his sensei and nodded, lifting his leg warmers and pulled out the weights hidden underneath. "YOUTH!" he yelled as he threw the weights at Gaara.

Gaara's sand moved to catch the weights. It failed.

The first weight blew the sand shield away and the second hit true, impacting Gaara's chest and launching him a fair distance away.

Temari's eyes widened in shock, "He managed to hit Gaara?" she asked, stunned at another mere gennin hurting her undefeated brother.

Gaara was caught by his sand and lowered onto his feet. He looked up with an insane smile, "Your blood is strong! Mother will have your blood!" he yelled crazily as the sand armour on his chest resealed itself shut.

Lee frowned, 'a secondary defence?' he thought as he crouched in a sprinting position.

"Let us begin!" he said as he disappeared in a burst of pure speed, slightly faster than Sakura's skating ability.

Team seven's eyes widened in shock, 'he's fast!' they thought.

Gaara's sand rose and blocked invisible attacks, barely in time to catch them.

Gaara looked around in shock as his sand barely managed to defend him from the impossibly fast gennin.

The attacks seemed to impact within the same second of each other until lee appeared mid spin above Gaara's head, "YOUTH!" he screamed as he swung his feet down.

Lee's feet impacted the top of Gaara's head, sending him facedown into the ground and dispersing the sand from the impact.

"UGHK!" Gaara let out as he smashed into the ground.

All the people of the sand village stared in shock at a mere GENNIN getting past their ultimate weapon.

Lee leapt back and stared as Gaara crawled back to his feet, "hmhmhahaHAHAHAAA!" Gaara laughed insanely as he grinned at lee, "FINALLY! Someone who is worth their blood!" he yelled as he attacked lee with more sand.

Lee dodged the best he could and managed to stay out of Gaara's firing range.

Lee looked up at his sensei hopefully. In return, Gai smiled and did the 'nice guy' pose. "GO FOR IT LEE!" he yelled.

Lee nodded and stood with his arms crossed, "THE EIGHT GATES!" he yelled as green chakra bled around him.

All the ninja in the stadium's eyes widened,

"FIRST GATE! OPEN!" Lee yelled and disappeared in a burst of speed, kicking Gaara up into the air.

"SECOND GATE! OPEN!" his speed increased again and he punched Gaara in the face, sending him plummeting towards the ground with Lee's bandages wrapped around his chest.

Lee yanked Gaara back towards him as he unleashed a duel kick-punch "URA-RENGE!" he yelled as he unleashed the hit.

**BOOM**

A sonic boom washed over the whole stadium as lee's attack impacted Gaara, sending him plummeting to the ground.

*BOOM*

A second sonic boom occurred with Gaara's impact.

Lee landed near Gaara and fell to one knee, 'almost…done.' He thought.

Everyone was shocked when Gaara rose to his feet like a ghoul, lifted by his sand. "MOTHER WANTS YOUR BLOOD!" he screamed.

Lee leapt away in shock and was about to open the third and fourth gates to use his Omoto-Renge when Gaara's sand did something unexpected.

Lee dodged be leaping backwards, where Gaara had just rose a wall of sand.

"BEHIND YOU!" Naruto yelled a second too late.

Lee turned as the wall curled around him and encased him in sand, "SAND COFFIN!" Gaara yelled as the sand picked lee up into the air.

Gaara smiled insanely, "SAND BUR-"DYNAMIC ENTRY!"

Gai interrupted the attack and kicked through the solid sand, launching an unconscious lee out the opposite side.

Genma stepped forward, "Lee Forfeits the match due to his sensei's interference. Winner, Gaara of the Sand!" he said.

The crowd cheered politely for the victory, though most of them were scared of the sand user and sad about a leaf contestant losing.

Gaara threw his sand forward, attempting to kill lee. Gai kicked the sand away, "Stop now or you will be disqualified!" Genma ordered.

Gaara was about to continue attacking when he fell to his knees, clutching his head. "Why, why do you protect him?" Gaara asked.

Gai looked at Gaara, confused at his question. "I protect him because he is precious to me." He said as if it was the simplest concept in the world.

Gaara stared, stunned into silence as memories flooded his head.

Gaara's sand picked him up and moved him to the waiting stands, 'precious? He protected him out of love?' Gaara thought as he was set down.

########################################################################################

Sarutobi frowned, "I do not like your son's attitude Kazekage-dono. He is obviously unstable." He said.

Onoki nodded, "Yeah, that kid is twisted, I wonder why that Jonin's words bothered him so much?" Onoki inquired.

The 'Kazekage' sat silent, 'not much longer now, just have to wait until the final round.' He thought as Genma called for the next battle.

#######################################################################################

"Shikamaru of the leaf and Pikkon of stone, begin!" Genma said as he leapt back.

Pikkon pulled out his blades and stood in a defensive stance.

Shikamaru did….nothing.

Pikkon focussed and held his defensive stance, 'what's this kid's game?' he thought.

Shikamaru…still just stood still, staring at Pikkon.

Pikkon grimaced, 'all I can deduce from his match in the preliminaries is that he uses shadows and he's a pretty good tactician' he thought as he gripped his stance tighter.

Shikamaru stood still, staring at Pikkon,"Well? Aren't you gonna do something?" Shikamaru asked.

Pikkon stumbled before moving back into his stance, "I was gonna ask you-"the same thing" Pikkon started before Shikamaru finished the sentence with him.

Pikkon was a little freaked out, 'is he reading my mind?' he thought.

Shika smirked, "Hey your thinkin it not me." He said.

Pikkon's eyes widened. "What? How-"are you doing this?""

Shika smirked, "just know that I am doing it." he said confidently.

Pikkon's stance lowered the tiniest bit as he tried to think about…not thinking. 'argh! This is frustrating! He'll know all my manoeuvres before I do them!' he thought.

Shikamaru smirked, 'wow, this guy is gullible. All I had to do was take a few good guesses and he's losing it.' he thought.

Pikkon shook his head, 'fuck it. I'm gonna let loose.' He thought tightening his stance.

Shikamaru noticed the sudden tension in Pikkon's stance. "You sure that's a good idea?" he asked.

Pikkon gritted his teeth and activated a jutsu, setting his swords ablaze with flames. "Not at all! But sometimes you have to take risks to be able to survive!" he said before charging at Shika.

Shikamaru used his shadow jutsu to try and trap Pikkon, but his plan with the swords work. The light from the swords dissipated Shikamaru's shadow just before it could reach Pikkon.

Pikkon laughed in victory, "HA!" he yelled as he started swinging his swords at a decent speed.

Shikamaru was reduced to dodging, but due to his slow nature, he had to constantly focus chakra so that he wasn't hit. 'this is so troublesome.' He thought as he used a substitution to get away from the close combat.

Pikkon turned to where Shikamaru appeared and stabbed his swords into the ground, "EARTH STYLE: FLYING BLADE!" he yelled.

From the ground in front of Pikkon, multiple huge blades of stone flew at Shikamaru.

Shikamaru used three consecutive substitutions to dodge the attack, 'Low on chakra, looks like I should finish it now.'

Shikamaru leapt atop the nearest earth bladeand said, "Pikkon, I already know your plan. Get in close with your fire swords so that my shadow can't get you, then attack from afar with these earth jutsu of yours." What Shikamaru said stunned Pikkon.

'he knows all that so quickly? He really can read minds!' Pikkon thought.

"Yep" Shikamaru said.

Pikkon sheathed one sword, formed a one-handed seal and swung the other at the ground. "EARTH STYLE: STONE TSUNAMI!" he yelled as he activated the Jonin level jutsu.

Shikamaru's eyes widened, "SHIT!" he yelled, dropping his act a bit too noticeably.

Huge stones grew from the ground and began rolling towards Shikamaru who panicked before half a second before coming up with a plan, 'simple is the best way to go I guess.' He thought.

Shikamaru focussed on the sword Pikkon sheathed and activated a substitution jutsu, swapping places with it.

Pikkon was knocked forward by the sudden weight on his back, dropping his sword, he turned to punch Shikamaru, only to be caught by his shadow.

The giant wave of stones impacted the ground and flattened half of the arena. Shikamaru smirked and picked up pikkon's weapon from the floor, Pikkon mimicked his movement but there was nothing to grab.

Shikamaru walked until the two were in front of each other, Shika holding the blade at the neck of Pikkon.

"Proctor, I forfeit." Shikamaru said.

There was a moment of silence before the crowd broke out in a frenzy of 'what-the-hell, boo and a what-the-fuck-Shikamaru-you're-so-grounded'.

Shikamaru's jutsu dropped, "I'm out of chakra, so I don't feel like going onto the next round. Good luck against Gaara." He said as he dropped the sword and left.

Pikkon stood in shock, "Dafuq?" he muttered.

Genma patted the confused gennin's shoulder, "Winner, Pikkon of stone!"

The audience cheered for the boy, who slowly exited the arena, still in shock at his win.

"That's our boy!" Onoki cheered Genma declared Pikkon the winner.

The 'kazekage' frowned, "I do not understand why your gennin gave up. Hokage-dono."

Sarutobi sheepishly smiled, "Well, he is a lazy one, probably saw winning to be to troublesome." He said.

The Tsuchikage nodded, "I don't care! Pikkon got to show off the strength of the stone village! I'm proud of him!" he said over enthusiastically.

Sarutobi smiled again, "I am looking forward to this match." He said as Genma called the next two combatants down.

########################################################################################

"Would Naruto Uzumaki and Neji hyuuga please come down to the arena!" Genma said.

Naruto jumped down to the arena alongside Neji, the two landed and faced each other.

Neji took the opportunity to speak, "fate has already declared me the winner of this match, it doesn't matter how good you are at intimidation, I will be the victor." He said while glaring at Naruto, trying to analyse Naruto and intimidate him.

Naruto just stood in silence for a moment.

He slowly raised his arm and wiped it down his face before holding it in a fist towards Neji. He recalled Hinata's blood flowing down his face and wrist, he glared at Neji with hatred, "I vow to win!" he spoke with certainty.

Neji scoffed, "so you won't forfeit? Fine, I will end your existence here today."

Genma waved his hand and yelled, "Begin!" before jumping backwards.

Neji got into his gentle fist stance as Naruto pulled out a shuriken in each hand. "You think fate decides everything?" he asked, "tell me Neji, what is the role of the branch family in the hyuuga household?"

Neji's brow furrowed as he charged, "I don't need to tell you anything trash." He said as he swung his first strike.

Naruto blocked the first strike and all the follow ups with his shuriken, wielding them as shields. Naruto smirked, "The role of the branch house is to above all, protect the main house of the clan. Isn't that right?" Naruto finished his sentence with a wide sweep of one shuriken, forcing Neji to leap back or lose his head.

Neji scowled at Naruto, "Of course it is, don't think you're smart. That is common knowledge." He said.

Naruto smirked, "So would you say that it's the branch house's 'fate' to follow the main house?" he asked mockingly.

Neji's scowl deepened, "It is our fate." He said angrily.

Naruto re-sealed his shuriken, shocking Neji with his actions, "Then tell me one thing, what category of protecting the main house does trying to kill Hinata fall under?" he said as his smirk turned to a dark glare.

Neji faltered in his stance, "What are you talking about?" he asked.

Naruto's glare intensified, "Don't think you can fool me with this fate shit. If it was your fate to see that the main house had proper protection,don't you think you would've done so?" he asked completely serious.

Neji stood in shock as he thought over the situation, 'No, it was her fate to lose. She is weak!' he straightened his stance and held firm, "She was a failure at the academy; she will always be a failure. Fate wanted me to knock her out of the running for clan heiress so that Hanabi has the position." Neji spoke, although it sounded scripted.

Naruto frowned at Neji's speech. "Lord Hyuuga was right after all." He said so only Neji would hear him.

Neji scowled and leapt to attack head on, "Got you!" he yelled, thinking he caught Naruto off guard.

Naruto smirked before holding the snake hand seal and activating one of the jutsu given to him from Orochimaru, "NINJA ART: PYTHON STRIKE." He said.

Neji was only about to be hitting Naruto when suddenly Naruto's neck elongated and he head-butted Neji in the face, from a meter away.

Neji fell on his ass in shock, his nose bleeding.

Naruto smirked, "You said earlier, Hinata was a failure and that she always will be. That's kinda negative of you ain't it Neji?" he said.

Neji stood to his feetconfused, "Did your neck just grow? And bend?" he asked.

Naruto frowned, "You're not even listening to what I'm saying!" he yelled as he leapt at Neji, unarmed.

Neji went on the defensive, blocking and evading all of Naruto's strikes. "Just like Hinata. You are a failure!" Neji said as he countered, landing a deadly blow directly to his heart.

Naruto smirked as he dissipated into a puddle of water.

Neji frowned "A water clone. I admit, that was as unexpected as your first strike was." He said as he turned to look for Naruto.

Naruto's voice echoed around the arena, "You call me a failure, I assume you're talking about my 'deadlast' status at the academy," Naruto paused as he glared at Neji from his hiding spot, "after this match, I want you to remember this moment." He finished.

Neji got tired of searching for Naruto and decided to finish it. "Byakugan!" he said as his family's jutsu activated.

Neji could see Naruto sitting in a tree, smirking and waving. "Bout time!" he said as he leapt over to Neji, landing much lighter on his feet now that his weights were no longer active.

Neji smirked, "what is so important about you being able to make a clone, Dead Last." Neji said, trying to anger Naruto into making a mistake.

Naruto returned the smirk. "Not much really, enough talk now. Slave." Naruto taunted back.

Neji was infuriated and attacked Naruto, "EIGHT TRIGRAMS SIXTY FOUR PALMS!" he yelled as he launched his attack.

Naruto went to move, only to find his legs were locked in place.

Neji's attack struck, hitting Naruto's wrists to stop chakra flowing through his hands. "Two palms!"

Naruto took a deep breath and launched, "WIND STYLE: GREAT BREAKTHROUGH!" point blank at Neji's face.

Neji was thrown back but managed to recover, his headband flew off along with bandages he wore on his forehead, revealing the caged bird seal.

Neji stood tall and started his speech, "Do you know what this is Naruto? It is-""the caged bird seal." Naruto said cutting him off.

Neji glared, "do you know what it's like to be marked for your whole life? Do you know the suffering off the branch family?!" Neji started to get really pissed.

Neji pulled a kunai and launched himself at the still glaring Naruto, who whipped out a shuriken and began to parry the attacks.

Sparks flurried as the battle grew, the two gennin moved in a dance around each other. Neji attacking fiercely and Naruto dancing and defending from the strikes.

Naruto spun, knocking Neji's strike aside and lifted his knee. Neji blocked the blow with a jyuuken strike, disabling Naruto's leg temporarily.

Naruto followed the momentum of the strike and brought his shuriken back around, Neji had to bend backwards to dodge the blow.

Naruto used the dodge to fling his limp leg at Neji, it collected his ribs and knocked him aside, given the two a breather.

Naruto stood on his good leg and used his shuriken to balance his weight. "Neji, do you truly know suffering?" Naruto asked.

Neji scowled and threw his kunai at Naruto, who knocked it aside with his weapon. "Suffering, it's an interesting word don't you think? I know the branch family has suffered as a whole. I know that some individuals of the family has suffered as well. But there are people who go through everything you have and more in only one day." Naruto said, still glaring at Neji.

Neji scoffed, "And you'd know what that is like dead-last?" Neji asked sarcastically.

Naruto's glare turned thoughtful, "You asked me if I knew the suffering of the branch family. Tell me, do you know the suffering of no family?" he asked.

Neji faltered in his stance and whipped a kunai, getting into a defensive position, "Noone has no family. They wouldn't survive in this world without one." Neji said, imagining his life. There was always the clan. The family of Hyuugas. There was always someone there.

Naruto smirked, "Another thing you are wrong about. Now answer me this, do you know the suffering of a prison?" he said.

Neji frowned in confusion, as did most of the crowd. "A building cannot suffer dead-last." Neji said as he prepared to launch himself at Naruto.

Naruto saw Neji preparing to attack and quickly threw his shuriken, forcing Neji to leap away. "A prison is a dirty place, home of the scum that inhabits it. That about right?" Naruto asked.

Neji landed and moved to the side of Naruto, "It is right, a prison is was it is. A home for the criminals" he said, focussing on hitting Naruto's weakened side.

Naruto stayed still, letting Neji move freely, "What was the prison beforehand though?" he asked.

Neji frowned as he tried to figure out the riddles Naruto was telling him. "It would've been a blank building."

Naruto smiled softly, "A blank building, a blank slate. Capable of being any type of building it could've wanted." Naruto's smile turned dark.

"**I didn't get that opportunity.**" Naruto said as his red eyes met Neji's.

Genma took a step forward, intent on jumping in if Naruto used to much of the fox's chakra, 'its so powerful!' he thought as a wave of chakra flowed past him.

Neji stumbled back in fear, being the only one feeling Naruto's concentrated killing intent, 'what does he mean? Why is he telling me all this?' Neji thought.

Naruto stopped channelling the fox's chakra, showing everyone the control he has over it. "Neji, I'm going to attack you now, I'll show you how to defy fate!" Naruto yelled as he stood on his feet, perfectly fine after healing with the fox's chakra.

Neji stood defensively with a smirk, 'I'll blow away anything he launched at me!' Neji thought with confidence.

Naruto formed twenty-one hand signs, "ULTIMATE WATER COMBINATION!" Naruto yelled.

"WATER STYLE: WATER WALL!" a huge tornado of water appeared from the water in Naruto's blade as well as water from the ground and surrounded Naruto.

"WATER STYLE: WATER DRAGON!" the huge wall turned into an oversized dragon with water dripping from its entire body, which was still swirling due to Naruto's water wall jutsu.

"WATER CLONES!" Naruto yelled, all the oversized droplets that fell from the dragon's body became clones of Naruto each holding a giant shuriken, which gripped to the swirling dragon with their chakra.

The final product was an oversized water dragon typhoon that had hundreds of rings of metal spinning around it's form. It loomed over Naruto as he stood with a smirk.

Neji looked up in fear before shaking his head, "No matter, my ultimate defence attacks the chakra in the jutsu as well, so the whole will dissipate after contact… I hope." Neji muttered to himself.

Naruto smirked, "Go!" he simply stated.

The water dragon lunged over Neji, shocking the hyuuga with it's manoeuvre. Until he saw all of the swirling shuriken being flung as him.

Being the genius he was, he made a quick substitution with one of the water clones on top of the dragon, it was destroyed as he was flung into the air.

Neji saw his chance, as he fell towards Naruto, who was concentrating on maintaining the jutsu, he began to spin.

"KAITEN!"

Neji's attack landed directly on the base of the water dragon, which had flung itself in the way of the attack.

Water was splashed over the whole field as Neji and Naruto pushed themselves to their feet. Both of them wielding wounds.

Neji was soaked through and felt nauseous, 'so that is why I shouldn't do that in the air.' Neji thought as the vertigo of the sped up drop hit him.

Naruto's left sleeve and the left side of his shirt was ripped off from the force of Neji's spin, he sported many bruises and a broken rib. Luckily, both were healing incredibly fast.

The dragon fell to the ground as water and soaked the whole stadium, leaving both combatants ankle deep in the man-made lake.

Neji glared at Naruto, "That should've killed you!" he yelled angrily.

Naruto smirked, "A prison always has a strong foundation." He said, confusing and infuriating Neji even more.

Naruto stood in a low animalistic stance, challenging Neji to a final stand-off.

Neji's glare intensified as he stood in a defensive position and welcomed Naruto's attack with a wave of his hand.

Naruto barrelled forward, looking eerily similar to an Inuzuka charging alongside his ninken as Neji started to spin.

The two clashed.

"KAITEN!""TSUUGA!"

**SHRREEEEEE**

The two swirling attacks grinded into each other, spinning in opposite directions causing sparks of chakra to shoot off.

The two attacks seemed pretty even, but eventually they both started to slow in their spinning.

Neji leaned to the side, pushing Naruto's drilling form away. The two spun away from each other and turned to face the other. Neji and Naruto both glaring intently.

Neji leant low as Naruto's legs suddenly became immobile, "EIGHT TRIGRAMS SIXTY FOUR PALMS" he yelled as he launched himself at Naruto.

"Two Palms!" they hit Naruto's lungs this time, preventing Naruto from blowing him away.

"Four Palms!" these hit up Naruto's arms, preventing him from moulding hand seals.

"Eight Palms!"

"Sixteen Palms!"

"Thirty Two Palm!"

Neji lowered his stance for the final combination, "SIXTY FOUR PA-*SLAM*

Neji was blindsided by a water clone of Naruto that materialized from the water below the two, he was hit with an uppercut, followed by a clothesline from another clone. Then the first clone threw the chakra-disabled Naruto above Neji as another grabbed Neji in a bear hug.

Naruto pulled out his sword and swung the blunt side at Neji's unprotected stomach, "BALLISTIC HAMMER!" he yelled.

His blow was hard enough to launch Neji back at the ground with enough force to make a crater, making most of the water flow into it.

Naruto landed next to the defeated Neji, who was floating on his back. "H-how?" Neji spluttered out.

Naruto smirked ignoring Neji's question, "The reason I was the dead last at the academy was because I am unable to perform the basic clone jutsu and my ninja tool skills were sub-par." Naruto said, shocking Neji to his core.

Naruto re-sheathed his blade and turned away, "I'm the idiot that changed his fate. If I can, I know you can to. Because unlike me, you're a genius." He said as he glanced at Neji one last time.

Neji's eyes were wide in shock as Genma yelled, "Winner Naruto of the Leaf!"

The crowd erupted into applause, congratulating the two on the amazing battle. Naruto turned to them in shock. 'they're applauding? For me?' he thought.

"NA-RU-TO! NA-RU-TO! NA-RU-TO!" the crowd chanted his name.

Naruto bowed deeply in thanks to the audience, who broke into wild screams again. He then bowed to the kage booth in respect before leaving to the waiting area, his face in a giant grin.

#######################################################################################

The Tsuchikage turned to the Hokage, "holy rock! Do you put steroids in the water here Sarutobi?! That was ridiculous! Two preteens capable of using Jonin and above level jutsu?!" Onoki stumbled over his words in shock.

Sarutobi chuckled, "This year's batch of gennin are truly remarkable, and to believe Naruto only left the academy earlier this year…" he mused.

Onoki's eyes bulged out of his head, "THAT KID IS A ROOKIE?!" he yelled in shock before falling into his seat, "oooooh, my back!" he said as his back cracked loudly.

The 'Kazekage' watched the two aged kages interact before frowning, 'that was ridiculous. Those techniques, the water dragon, water wall and the Kaiten are all Jonin level skills.'

Sarutobi chuckled and turned back to the field, observing Genma who spoke up.

Genma projected his voice throughout the whole stadium, "Attention, we will now have a half hour intermission before continuing the Chunnin exams. There will be a five minute pre-announcement before we start up again. Have a nice break!"

######################################################################################

Chapter end.

Hey guys! Thankyou everyone for the reviews, questions and suggestions! I hope my story has gotten your interest and you will continue to read.

By the way, by the time i post chapter sixteen anko's future will be officially done.

At the moment, the most popular choice are: Future Anko Uzumaki, wife of Naruto Uzumaki. and Anko Hatake, sisterly/ motherly figure to team 7.

the other choices got a maximum of 2 votes so i've taken those options out.

so please tell me ASAP. Choice 1. Anko Uzumaki. or Choice 2. Anko Hatake

Please R&R everyone!


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen: Rounds two and three!

_Flashback_

_The stands we're bustling as civilian, ninja and nobles ran around. Some were buying food, others were placing bets…this is where Iruka stood, looking at the betting stall._

_'hmmm, almost all of Konoha's betters are betting on the final round to be Sasuke versus Neji versus Shikamaru. These people obviously don't know the contestants.' Iruka thought._

_"Hey there ninja-san!"_

_Iruka looked at the chubby man behind the counter, "Would you like to place a bet? The stalls are closing soon so get your money in quick!" he said with a smile._

_Iruka walked over, ready to politely turn the offer down, when he caught a glimpse of the odds. "Umm, does that mean everyone thinks Naruto is going to lose?" he asked as he saw the '70,256 to 1' odds against Naruto._

_The man behind the counter chuckled, "That brat wins against a Hyuuga clan member? Impossible!" he said._

_Iruka smiled, 'Well, at least this will show that someone supports Naruto.' "I would like to place fifty ryu on Naruto making it to the final round, Sasuke as well. Also I think Sakura will win against Ino easily." He said as he saw Sakura's odds of winning against Ino being '120 to 1'._

_Iruka looked at the odds sceptically, 'its as if they think you can only win if you're from a clan?' Iruka thought._

_The man blinked in shock before laughing, "BAhaha! Sure man throw away your money! As if a civilian bred ninja would be able to contest against our clan ninja!" the man laughed as he took iruka's money._

_Iruka smiled politely, "Well this is my first time betting, let's see how lucky I'll be." He said as he turned back to his seats._

############################################

Iruka brought his betting card back to the booth, "Hey umm, can I get my share of what was won from Naruto and Sakura making it through?" he asked politely.

The chubby attendant nodded, a pale look on his face, "Sure. Here's your cash. 3,525,000 ryo for Naruto and 6,000 for Sakura's win." He mumbled as he placed seven suitcases on the counter and a smaller wad of cash labelled 'Uzumaki's win' and a smaller suitcase labelled 'Haruno's win'.

Iruka blinked in shock as he looked at the cases, "H-H-How much?" he asked.

The man just closed the betting window, "Enough to buy the whole stadium and paint it a rainbow." He said.

Iruka stared at the suitcases in shock, "Oh my." He said as his face slowly smiled widely.

"Lunch is on me next time Naruto!" Iruka said with a chuckle as he sealed all the suitcases in a basic storage scroll.

Iruka pocketed the scroll and walked over to Ichiraku's ramen stand. "Hey Teuchi! Can I get six bowls of ramen to go?" he called.

Teuchi looked up from his mini stove top, "Sure thing Iruka! That'll be 66 ryo, u got it on ya?" he asked as he poured the food into eight separate travel bowls.

Iruka placed a 500 ryo note on the counter, "Oh yeah, I sure got it!" he said as he waved his wad of cash and picked up the bags Teuchi placed the counter.

Teuchi smirked, "Win it big Iruka?" he asked.

Iruka nodded as he walked away, "Yeah, just over 3.5 million. Keep the change Teuchi-san!" he said as he walked down a hallway.

Teuchi's eyes dropped open before he laughed, "HAHAHA! You go my boy!" he yelled happily.

Ayame waved to Iruka yelling, "Say hi to them for me Iruka-san! And give Sasuke my love!"

Iruka laughed loudly while nodding as he turned the corner, disappearing into the hallways of the stadium.

############################################

The contestant box was tense…for two patrons at least. "Oi, why are you two being so quiet?" Naruto yelled far too loudly towards Pikkon and Gaara.

Gaara just sat with his eyes closed, ignoring the boy.

Pikkon looked at Naruto before huffing, "I am trying to focus my chakra, I have a huge match coming up next and I need to prove myself." He said seriously.

Sasuke and Sakura continued to talk to each other as Naruto walked over to Pikkon, "Well isn't that technically a waste of your mental energy? Come talk with us, it'll help you relax and take the pressure off of your shoulders." Naruto said as he stood next to Pikkon, who was staring out at the arena.

Pikkon raised a brow, "Why would I want to be close to you? Your village killed my teammate."

Naruto faltered, "Oh, umm. Sorry I guess." He said as he felt awkward.

Pikkon glared for a second before sighing, "No, don't be sorry. It ain't your fault he was an arrogant prick. If anything I should be thankful, now I don't have to kill him myself." Pikkon said.

Naruto tilted his head curiously, "Why would you want to kill him?" Naruto asked.

Pikkon took a deep breath, "He killed my older sister. The last family I had. Their gone because of him." Pikkon said sadly as he stared at the roof.

Naruto's eyes widened, "You're…alone?" he asked.

Pikkon scoffed, "Yeah I am. What's it to you?" he said angrily turning to Naruto.

His anger stopped when he saw the look of true understanding on Naruto's face. "It hurts, doesn't it…" Naruto muttered, not really asking the question.

Pikkon nodded, "Yeah, sorry about how I reacted." He muttered, 'now I'm discovering things I have in common with leaf ninjas. What a weird exam.' He thought.

Naruto grabbed Pikkon's arm and pulled him over to the other two members of team seven, "Hey guys, you met Pikkon yet?" he asked.

Sasuke turned and nodded to Pikkon, "I hope my otouto hasn't been annoying you too much?" he asked politely.

Pikkon raised a brow, "Otouto?" he asked sceptically, seeing the many differences between the two.

Sakura nodded and shook Pikkon's hand, even thought he didn't offer it. "Yeah, team seven is a family. Both Sasuke-kun and Naru-nii have lost theirs, so we have each other now." She explained.

Pikkon smiled at the concept, 'an adopted family, I wish I could have one.' he thought as he imagined himself side-by-side with team seven.

He shook his head, 'what the hell am I thinking? I'm a stone nin, these guys aren't my family. Nor will they ever be.' He thought the sentiment angrily at the beginning before becoming saddened at his lack of family he felt.

Naruto nudged Pikkon, "You okay?" he asked.

Pikkon was about to answer when his stomach rumbled, "Yeah, just hungry. I was too nervous to eat this morning but I feel pretty good now." He said with a small smile.

"Looks like I arrived just in time then!"

Team seven and Pikkon turned to see Iruka walking out of the hallway from the audience stands, "You guys hungry?" he asked.

Team seven ran over to him in unison, Naruto pulling Pikkon along, "Iruka-sensei! Did you see our matches?" Naruto yelled.

Iruka nodded with a smile, "Yeah, I must say you three were amazing!" he paused as he saw Pikkon standing with them, "You were great too, it's a bummer that Shika got you like that. You know why he forfeited?" he asked as the five walked over to the edge of the balcony and sat down.

Pikkon blinked, 'and now I'm being praised by a local Chunnin, this day keeps getting weirder' "Ugh, he said it would be too troublesome to continue on and face Gaara." Pikkon answered.

The four Leaf nin laughed, shocking Pikkon. "Yeah that sounds like Shikamaru." Sakura said.

Iruka emptied the bags in front of the four gennin, "I got you guys some ramen, thought you'd need the energy."

Naruto and Sakura cheered as Iruka passed them each a bowl, while Sasuke smiled softly at the words written on a piece of paper on his. 'Ayame says hi. Nice one lover-boy.' He read.

He looked up to find Iruka smirking at him before he turned to Pikkon, "Here you go," Iruka said as he held a bowl out.

Pikkon blinked in surprise and took the bowl, "You got some for me? Why?" he asked.

Iruka raised a brow and said simply, "It's the way of the leaf village, I can't just come here and feed only our ninja knowing that you all will be in for a great battle soon." He said with a smile.

Pikkon stared at the bowl in his hands, "Umm, thank you." He said quietly as he opened the lid. 'they don't even know me, and they treat me better than anyone else in my village does… I wish I was born here instead of the stone.' Pikkon thought as a small tear dripped from his eye unnoticeably.

Iruka stood and walked over to Gaara with a bowl, "Gaara-san, would you like some food?" he asked as he crouched next to the sitting boy.

Gaara turned and glared at Iruka, "I will not except you poison. I know you wish for me to die." He said.

Iruka faltered in his step, "Poison? Why would I do that? If I poisoned you I wouldn't get to watch you show off your skills and you won't be able to prove yourself as a Chunnin." Iruka said blandly.

Gaara saw no deception from Iruka, so he faced him fully, "Then why do you want to give me this food?" he said.

Iruka smiled, "It's the right thing to do, I will help all of those I can. I guess I don't have a solid reason for you, if you don't want it I'm sure someone else will." Iruka said as he thought about his basic teaching skills, 'No matter the person's age or tendencies, they will always want to try something new, especially if it might be taken from them.' Iruka thought as Gaara stared at him.

Gaara watched Iruka with a furrowed brow, 'Is he trying to get me to believe he's doing this out of the goodness of his heart? Does he think me a fool?' Gaara thought as he came up with a wicked plan to make Iruka kill himself.

"Prove to me it's not poisoned." Gaara ordered.

Iruka blinked in confusion, "Umm, you mean eat some? Alright I guess." He said as he lifted the lid and used his own chopsticks to lift out some noodles, he ate a mouthful.

Gaara watched in anticipation as he expected Iruka to start coughing and dying, 'the poison in this soup will kill him any moment now.' Gaara thought.

Iruka smiled uncomfortably, 'why's he looking at me like that?' he thought as he held the bowl out to Gaara. "See? No poison, I bought this myself with the winnings of my first bet. You still don't trust me?" Iruka asked, still holding his polite smile.

Gaara frowned as he watched Iruka stay standing, perfectly un poisoned. "…I do not. But I will eat." Gaara said as he took the bowl from Iruka.

Iruka's smile widened, "Good, you'll need all the energy you can have when you fight." Iruka said as he walked back towards the other four.

Gaara watched Iruka walk away and turned to his food, watching the noodles float around, 'what is this?' he thought as he used the chopsticks to eat a small amount.

His eyes widened as the taste hit his tongue, "…this…is good." Gaara said as he continued to eat in silence.

#########################################################

"ATTENTION PATRONS OF THE CHUNNIN EXAMS! ROUND TWO WILL BEGIN SOON, PLEASE RETURN TO YOUR SEATS!" Genma's voice rang through the speakers.

Iruka stood, picking up the leftover bowls from the meal. "Well, I guess that's my cue to go. Catch you after the exams." He said as he turned away.

"Good luck all of you. Especially you Pikkon, I feel there may be something dangerous about Gaara." Iruka whispered before he left.

Team seven waved as Pikkon sat in shocked silence, 'There they go, being all caring to me again.' He thought as Iruka left.

#######################################################

Iruka walked up the last set of stairs, past a black hooded anbu holding a bag. "You should hurry Iruka-san, not long until Genma-san starts the match." The anbu said as he walked past.

Iruka turned to thank the anbu, only to see leaves falling to the ground as the result of a leaf shunshin. 'What's an anbu doing down here anyways?' Iruka thought as he looked down the opposite hallway which led to the emergency food stores of the village, hidden in the bunkers under the Chunnin exam arena. 'Weird.' He thought as he continued onwards.

############################################################

"Welcome back! I hope you all enjoyed your break!" Genma said as people were finally settling into their seats again.

"We will now begin the second round of the Chunnin exams!" he announced to the cheering crowd.

Genma waved to the waiting box, "Sakura Haruno of the leaf versus Sasuke Uchiha of the leaf. Please come down!"

The two jumped down from their place in the box and stood opposite each other, the crowd roared in excitement.

Sakura winked, "Ready Sasuke-kun?" she asked.

Sasuke smirked with a nod, "This will be a true challenge." He replied.

Genma stood tall as the two members of team seven had a standoff, "Begin!" he yelled jumping away.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan, revealing three tomoe in his left eye and two in the other, at the same time Sakura charged, her weights no longer active.

The two clashed in Taijutsu, Sakura's speed giving her the edge on attack, but Sasuke's Sharingan nullifying the speed, allowing him to get in a few counters.

The crowd looked on in awe as the two teens clashed in a display of pure speed and power.

Sasuke ducked under a high kick and tried to deliver a strike to Sakura's unprotected leg.

She hopped over the leg sweep and brought her fist down towards Sasuke's head. He smirked and rolled forward, underneath the airborne Sakura.

He rolled to his feet and spun with a punch, only for it to connect with a downward kick from Sakura. The kick knocked him off balance and she used the opportunity to kick his unprotected stomach.

Sasuke was launched back near twenty meters, with a grunt, he pulled himself to his feet.

Sasuke and Sakura had a standoff, before Sakura suddenly skated at him, much faster than before.

Sasuke's Sharingan span as it barely kept up with her movements, Sasuke was purely on the defensive, dodging all of her strikes but being unable to manoeuvre otherwise.

Genma watched disbelievingly as the two gennin clashed with more speed than most Chunnin, 'These two are more than enough to pass this exam.' He thought.

Sasuke suddenly dove towards Sakura, taking her punch. She was shocked at the manoeuvre, she looked at him to see if he was alright.

Her eyes met those of the Sharingan.

"CHAMELEON TECHNIQUE!" Sasuke yelled as he vanished from existence.

Sakura stumbled forward and quickly moved away from the area. Not a second too late.

*BOOM*

A crater formed in the spot where something impacted, scaring the audience and making Sakura frown.

Sakura activated her claws and threw her hands in front of her face.

*CRASH*

Sakura was launched backwards, but appeared to be holding something in her hand.

She landed and released the jutsu, "KAI!" she yelled as she pulsed her chakra.

The object in her hand was revealed to be the weight of Sasuke's kusarigama, she smirked as she looked at Sasuke.

"Almost had me." She said.

Sasuke smirked and activated a seal on the chain-link he was holding. "Still do." He said as volts of electricity flowed down his weapon.

Sakura was hit by the electricity and dropped the weapon, falling to her knees in pain.

Sasuke grunted and spun, flinging the weight of his weapon in a wide arc aiming for Sakura.

Sakura struggled to her feet as she activated Radical Good Speed and launched a kick at the oncoming weight, "SHOCKING FIRST BULLET!" she yelled as the kick connected.

*BOOOM*

Sakura's kick launched Sasuke into a spin,she hoped he would be unbalanced, giving her time to recover. She was wrong, Sasuke spun with the momentum of her kick, spinning in a circle and flinging his weapon back at her from the opposite angle.

Sakura frowned as the effect of the electric shock worked through her nerves, 'my legs won't move! Guess I have no choice!' she said as she sent the chakra needed for her two claws into only one arm.

The weight of Sasuke's weapon slammed into Sakura's position, creating a huge dust cloud.

Sasuke frowned, 'she could've dodged that, and if she didn't, she would've been launched away from the impact like a ragdoll…I hope I didn't hurt her.' He thought.

The dust cloud dissipated to show Sakura in the same crouching position, RGS de-activated, but a new upgrade stuck from her arm.

A huge double bladed full arm guard stuck off of her arm, completely blocking the weight of Sasuke's weapon. She wasn't even moved a bump.

(Imagine Alex Mercer's Executioners blade from Prototype.)

Even Sarutobi's eyes widened at Sakura's wicked blade.

Sasuke's eyes widened, "What is that Sakura-chan?" he asked in shock.

Sakura smirked, "Just one of my two new upgrades." She said as she activated her skating ability and launched at Sasuke.

Sasuke slammed a seal from his pouch onto the chain of his weapon, "SEALING ART: IRON DEFENCE!" he said, activating the seal that made his weapon pretty much unbreakable.

Sakura swung her weapon quickly, not letting Sasuke do anything other than block and dodge for a little over a minute.

Sakura leant forward and span at a quick pace, causing her blade to slash at Sasuke for times in a second. She stood tall and slashed hard at the now off-balance Sasuke, the force disarming Sasuke from his weapon. "tch." He let out in frustration before dodged her next slash using a substitution to appear in front of the large pond Naruto and Neji's battle made.

Sakura panted heavily and de-activated her blade, 'that still consumes way too much chakra,' she thought as she took a deep breath and focussed on Sasuke.

Sasuke frowned and breathed heavily as well, 'I only got one shot at this.' He thought as he pulled out a seal and channelled his lightening chakra into it.

Sakura stood straight, 'my final strike!' she thought as she re-activated Radical Good Speed and bounced twice from the energy release.

Sasuke frowned, 'my chances of success just halved, time to see just how fast she really is.' He thought as he took a defensive stance and shuffled closer to the water.

Sakura sent her fire chakra to RGS to give herself another boost. 'this is it!' she thought as she crouched in a sprinting position.

Sasuke's eyes widened as small flame wheels began to move from the back of Sakura's feet. 'this may not end well.'

Sakura grinned, "Last strike," she said as she put the power of her second bullet strike to use.

Sasuke's Sharingan spun wildly as Sakura approached him much faster than he could trace, he jumped while simultaneously throwing down his seal.

Sakura appeared in front of Sasuke just as he began his leap, she was mid-kick at his position on the ground, "ANNIHILATING SECOND BULLET!" she yelled.

***BOOOOOOOOOOM***

The force of the kick launched Sasuke higher, and caused a crater that drew the water into it. Sakura now stood knee deep in the water, breathing heavily.

Sasuke landed far away and turned to Sakura, who was about to get up and use her final bullet strike.

He frowned, "Sorry Sakura." He said as he sent out a pulse of chakra.

She frowned in confusion, before seeing his now activated seal at her feet. "Oh." She managed to let out.

The electricity stored in the seal was released, and combined with the water Sakura stood in was too much for her. The volts shot though her, knocking her unconscious and de-activating her weapons.

Sasuke let out a huge sigh as Genma raised his arm. "Winner, Sasuke of the leaf!" the crowd erupted into cheers.

Sasuke jogged over and pulled Sakura out of the small lake as she came back to consciousness.

Sasuke smiled, "Sorry for playing rough Sakura-chan," he said before kissing her forehead.

She smiled weakly, "S'okay Sasuke-kun," she slurred as she puckered her lips.

Sasuke smirked and kissed her as he held her bridal style. The two separated as the crowd burst into cheers, wolf-whistles and lots of guys hollering congrats.

The two blushed as a medic team approached the duo, "I will get her medical attention, she will be ready for the upcoming…mission." She said quietly, reminding the two gennin of their roles in the upcoming invasion.

Sasuke nodded and handed Sakura to the medic, who ran off the field quickly.

Sasuke then turned to the cheering crowd and bowed in appreciation, then to the kage booth in respect.

########################################

All three patrons of the kage booth were sitting in stunned silence for more than a minute.

The 'kazekage' thought, 'My god, he's truly gifted. I can't wait to have his body as my own!'

Sarutobi thought, 'Was that even real? I could barely follow Sakura's speed at all, and Sasuke's seal work was amazing! I can't believe he managed to write all those seals while in the cover of his chameleon jutsu!'

Onoki thought, 'ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?! NOONE IS THAT FAST! AND ANOTHER SEAL MASTER?!' Onoki took a deep breath and considered his village's future, 'No way we could possibly compete with the leaf in another war, I have to find a way to get on Sarutobi's good graces so that we can form a true alliance.' He thought seriously.

Sarutobi coughed lightly as Sasuke left the arena, "Well, I do hope the match between your village's ninjas is as entertaining as that!" he said cockily, rubbing his success into the other 'kage's' faces.

The 'kazekage' humphed, while Onoki chuckled, "I know my Pikkon will try."

################################################

"Next combatants come down!" Genma ordered as we waved grandiosely to the contestant box.

Pikkon leapt out and performed a flip graciously, landing in front of a swirling storm of sand. Which Gaara appeared from.

Pikkon bowed, "This will be an interesting fight," he said while adding an afterthought, 'this kid is crazy, I have to be careful here.'

Gaara unfolded his arms tilted his head, "…what does your blood taste like?" he asked, creeping the shit out of everyone.

Genma raised a brow, 'okay, well at least it isn't another leaf nin against this psycho.' He thought before raising his arm, "Begin!" he yelled as he leapt away from the two.

Pikkon immediately took action, 'I'm nowhere near as fast as that green guy, so I can't outrun this guy's sand. Time for some science.' He thought as he pulled out a sword and ran to Gaara's left.

Gaara's eyes tracked pikkon's movement, his sand flailing around him.

Pikkon stopped and face Gaara, the small lake now between the two. 'now I need him to attack me.'

The two gennin stood in silence for a few minutes, Pikkon waiting for Gaara to attack, and Gaara not caring. 'well…looks like I have to do something stupid.' Pikkon thought.

"Hey, can't help but notice you're one sibling short. Did it hurt when Kankuro was teared into oblivion?" Pikkon asked with a dark smirk, trying to anger Gaara.

Gaara's head rolled slightly, "I care little about that fool." He said.

The sand continued to swirl.

Pikkon frowned, 'think dammit, what has this guy said throughout these exams…'

Gaara's sand stopped spinning and a kunai formed out of sand. It launched at Pikkon who easily knocked it aside with a swung of his blade, "That it? geez you must've gotten your throwing arm from your mumma." 'geez I sound like such a weirdo.' Pikkon thought.

The next kunai froze in it's movement, "Mother?" Gaara asked in a high voice as he stared at Pikkon.

Pikkon raised a brow, 'seriously? His mother is his weak point?' "What's that you want to say to your mummy? Give me the message, I'll tell her tonight when I'm done with her."

Gaara's whole demeanour changed, from uninterested and bored, to downright fucking pissed. "YOU DO NOT SPEAK OF MOTHER!" he yelled as he launched huge spire of sand at Pikkon, using all of his offensive sand.

Pikkon frowned, "Okay, maybe that was a bad idea." He said to himself as the spire bore down on his position. 'let's hope this works.' He thought.

Pikkon ran at the sand spire, a single sword in hand as he held another hand sign in concentration, "WEAPON STYLE: ELEMENTAL MANIPULATION: WATER!" he yelled as he swung his blade upwards.

The water from the lake rose into the path of the sand, the two forces collided.

Wet sand was the result; nearly all of Gaara's offensive sand was soaked, turning it to mud.

Pikkon whipped out his other blade and crossed them, "WEAPON STYLE: FIRE STYLE: FLAMING CROSS!" he yelled as he launched the fire attack at Gaara's slow sloppy sand.

The result was basic science, the sand went from cold to superheat quick enough to change it's state of matter. Gaara's sand was now glass.

Gaara looked at the glass in confusion, unsure of what just happened. "Mother?" he asked, looking towards the sand in his palm.

Pikkon saw his chance and sheathed his swords, forming hand signs. "this one is all me! EARTH STYLE: EARTH SPEARS!" he yelled.

Long spears of earth launched from behind Pikkon towards the seemingly defenceless Gaara, who looked up at the spears and frowned and a solid sphere of sand surrounded him. The spears managed to imbed themselves into the sphere, but none penetrated it.

Pikkon fell to his knees, "Too many jutsu…I think I'm done." Pikkon said as he pushed himself onto his feet, "I'm the last of the stone village in this tournament, I can't give up!" he finished with a yell as he pushed himself to his feet.

The crowd cheered as Pikkon got to his feet, "GO ROCK NINJA!" "KEEP IT UP!" "PIKKON!"

Pikkon panted heavily as he grinned at the audience, 'I'm not even from their village, fuckin hell I'm appreciated here more than back at home…that settles it, if I get an opportunity I'm moving here.' He thought sadly before refocusing.

Suddenly Gaara's sand moved, grasping the spears of earth, it began to spin, creating a spiking death ball. The ball began to open up, revealing Gaara holding one hand up and his finger twirling, seemingly being the only thing needed to manipulate such a large amount power.

##########################################

Onoki frowned, "I'm sorry Hokage-dono, Kazekage-dono. If my gennin gets in danger, I will be stepping in. that gennin of your is unstable to say the least Kazekage-dono." Onoki said seriously.

Sarutobi nodded, "That is perfectly fine Onoki-san." He said with a frown towards the 'kazekage'.

The masked kage chuckled, "You say unstable, I say powerful."

#################################

"Go for it Pikkon!" Naruto cheered as he jumped up and down, waving enthusiastically.

Even Sasuke was grasping the rails in excitement.

###################################################

Pikkon chuckled, "heh, well this is not how I expected today to turn out." He said.

Gaara began to walk forward, his sand spinning the earth spears in a deadly sphere.

Pikkon smirked, "I'll give it my all!" he said as he charged forward.

The two clashed in a display of power. Pikkon using pure sword skills to deflect Gaara's attacks, Gaara started to smile as he rolled his wrist, making the spinning increase in speed.

Pikkon, who had nearly no chakra and was exhausted beyond belief, kept fighting. He gained no ground but many slashes from the earth spears. Pikkon ducked under s spear and knocked another skyward, only to be collected in the side and flung across the arena.

Gaara smirked as Pikkon rolled to his feet, nursing his ribs with one hand.

Pikkon panted heavily, now armed with only one sword. 'okay, I'm done. But I'm not giving up, I will keep going until I can no more!' he thought as he groggily stood to his feet.

Gaara grinned insanely as his sand lifted, "YOUR DEAD!" he screamed as his sand threw all of Pikkon's earth spears back at him.

Pikkon watched the spears flying at him and stumbled two steps forward, before breaking into a sprint. "HAAAA!" he yelled as he deflected the first spear.

Pikkon dodged left and right, stumbling more often than not. He slashed at the last spear. Sending the last of his chakra into his blade, "WEAPON STYLE: LIGHTENING STYLE: SHARP SPEAR!" he yelled as he threw his blade, which lit up a stunning white.

Gaara's sand came to defend him automatically, but Pikkon's sword easily cut through the defensive wall and continued on to penetrate Gaara's sand armour and stabbing clean through Gaara's right shoulder.

Gaara stood in shock, staring at the handle of the blade which was covered in his blood. Then the volts surged. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed, feeling true physical pain for the first time in his life.

Gaara started shaking as Pikkon fell to his knees, "IS THIS MY BLOOD?!" Gaara screamed.

Pikkon smirked, 'looks like I got in my final shot, if I was a Chunnin, at least my team could now take him out much easier.' He thought as he raised his arm, "Proctor, I'm finished." He said before falling onto his face unconscious.

Onoki, the Tsuchikage, flew down to the arena and picked up his gennin. "I've got him." He said as he lifted Pikkon and flew towards the exit tunnel and the medical area.

Genma waved his arm, "Winner Gaara of the sand."

The crowd cheered at the amazing battle, almost all of them wished for pikkon's victory, but some things seem to be unstoppable.

Gaara stood angrily, nursing his shoulder which was quick to heal thanks to the bijuu inside of him. 'Mother, I'm sorry I didn't get his blood. I will take theirs instead.' Gaara promised the Shukaku.

Genma stepped forward, "Would Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki please come down!" he yelled so that everyone in the audience heard.

The crowd cheered as the two gennin of the leaf leapt into the arena, landing in a triangle formation with Gaara at point, Sasuke to the left and Naruto to the right. Genma stood in the middle.

"FINAL ROUND OF THE CHUUNIN EXAMS! NARUTO VERSUS SASUKE VERSUS GAARA! BATTLE ROYALE BEGIN!" Genma announced before disappearing in a shunshin.

Immediately, Naruto blew hard "WIND STYLE: GREAT BREAKTHROUGH!"

Sasuke sent chakra into the seal on his palm, "SEALING ART: PRESSURE PULSE!

Gaara gestured grandly, "SAND TSUNAMI!"

The three attacks collided causing a huge dust cloud to obscure the arena.

############################################

Onoki sat down again, "holy rolling stone! I've been gone a minute and the explosions have already started?" he asked as he sat down.

The 'kazekage' frowned, 'Kabuto was meant to stall him! This will be much harder now.' He thought with malice.

Sarutobi smiled at Onoki before turning back to the arena, "Keep watch, this'll be fun." He said with a small chuckle.

#####################################

The dust lifted to show Gaara standing, his sand protecting him, with the chain of Sasuke's weapon wrapped around his shield of sand. Naruto was nowhere to be seen.

Sasuke sent chakra into a seal on his weapon, "Activate!" he yelled.

The chain became charged with electricity, making a burst of energy, throwing the sand away and giving it a clear path towards Gaara.

Gaara's sand enveloped him in another sand sphere and the chain was thrown away.

Sasuke leapt away and pulled his chain to him, he stood in a defensive stance facing the sphere of sand. 'I thought Naruto said we'd work together, where is the dobe.' He thought.

A sonicboom sounded from above and everyone looked up to see Naruto plummeting towards the sand sphere as a black and orange blur, "WIND STYLE: UPGRADE BLADE!" Naruto yelled as a light green hue enveloped his sword.

Naruto swung his sword at Gaara's sand shield, "BALLISTIC SLAUGHTER!" he yelled as he swung his blade at the sphere.

***BOOM***

The arena was covered by another cloud of dust from the impact. The only thing heard was a scream. "STOP HURTING ME!" Gaara's voice screamed out.

The crowd suddenly fell quiet as feathers started to drop on the audience, the civilians fell to sleep while most of the ninja released the Genjutsu that fell over them.

###############################################

Sarutobi stood to his feet in confusion, when the Kazekage appeared behind him holding a kunai to his throat. "Now now Sarutobi-sensei, don't do anything rash." The 'kazekage' said.

Onoki turned to help when the rouge kage's hold tightened, "Not so fast old man, or I'll kill him now." The man said.

He raised his hand and ripped off his face to reveal Orochimaru, "Let's take this somewhere else shall we?" he said as he leapt up to the roof.

Onoki followed Orochimaru and his hostage up to the roof when suddenly, four sound ninjas appeared and activated a barrier seal, cutting off anyone else from entering.

Onoki turned in a full circle, analysing the barrier, "This ain't good." He said.

Sarutobi used Orochimaru's distraction to use a substitution with a roof tile, he stood next to Onoki. "Will you help me with this one old friend? I'd owe the stone village a large favour." Sarutobi said.

Onoki levitated so that he was at eye level with Sarutobi, "Let's get this show on the road!" he turned to yell to all the stone ninja that had accompanied his journey to the leaf village, they were outside the barrier next to some leaf anbu. "The Leaf needs our help! I want you guys to bring me some heads got it?!" he yelled.

The stone ninja nodded, "Hai Tsuchikage-sama!" they said before jumping into the battle between leaf, sand and sound.

Onoki formed a hand sign and a stone rose next to him, "Let's rock Hiruzen!" he yelled.

#############################################

Naruto landed next to Sasuke as Gaara was surrounded by a team of sand chunnin and Gaara's Jonin sensei, Baki.

Sasuke scoffed, "Well someone needs a protection party." He said, trying to see the point of all these people protecting Gaara.

Naruto frowned, "I don't get it, there is meant to be some awesome weapon, where is it?" he said.

Sasuke looked at him, "It doesn't matter, our orders are to restrain the sand gennin. Hokage-sama said to try and get the Kazekage's kids because they'll be the best bargaining chips. Sakura already has Temari in the medical bay. It's up to us to get Gaara." Sasuke said.

Genma appeared in front of the two. "In that case, I'll take the Jonin off of your hands. You can handle a team of Chunnin and Gaara himself right?" he said.

Naruto nodded, "Sure, when your done you should try to find this weapon of theirs." He said.

Genma smirked, "Look at you, trying to order me around. I guess you feel comfortable in a leader's position." He said.

Genma chuckled before turning serious as the Chunnin squad left, carrying Gaara with them. "Stop them!" he ordered.

Baki jumped in the way, "Not so fast!"

"Go! I got this!" Genma yelled as he attacked Baki with a senbon.

The two leaf gennin nodded and chased after the three gennin and Gaara, "Got their scent Naruto?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto used his enhanced senses from Akamaru to follow the trail, "Got it!" he yelled.

############################################

Sakura stood in front of the doorway to Temari's room, blocking the entrance of two sand gennin. "One more step, and your dead." She said as she swallowed a soldier pill.

###########################################

Naruto and Sasuke landed in front of two sand Chunnin as the third jumped into one of the forests of the village, pulling Gaara along with him.

Sasuke activated his curse mark as Naruto levitated in the air, "We won't fail!" the two yelled as they charged.

###############################################

The three kage level ninja threw off their cloaks and stood in battle positions, ready to end the opposition's leader, "The Leaf will not fall on this day!" Hiruzen Sarutobi, the third Hokage of Konoha announced as he summoned his partner Enma.

#############################################

The ninja of Konoha yelled "WE END THIS NOW!"

##############################################

Chapter end.

I want to once again thank everyone for voting and I'm extremely shocked at the outcome of the polls.

I thought there would be a clear winner but up until I posted this the two choices were neck and neck.

in the end, the Future Anko Uzumaki…lost, Anko Hatake won by 2 votes! (At the time that I finished writing this chapter)

So I'm sorry to all the people who thought Anko would join Naruto's clan, but instead she's gonna be joining the family of team seven in a different role.

And Kakashi will finally get some lovin.

R&R! thanks for all the votes and suggestions :D


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen: Battles of the Invasion Part one.

"WE END THIS NOW!" Sakura yelled as she activated her executioners' blade.

The two sand gennin got into stances, one with a kunai in each hand and the other with two small fans in his grasp. The first gennin smirked, "Your right, this is over!"

The second nodded, "You're tired from your fight and it's two against one! We've got this easy." He said as he waved a fan, "WIND STYLE: WIND BLADE!" he yelled, launching a single blade of wind at Sakura. His partner threw a handful of kunai behind the wind blade.

Sakura spun quickly, while sending fire chakra through her blade. The result set an arc of fire which stopped the wind blade, but the kunai flew through the dispersed attacks uninterrupted.

Sakura finished her spin and slashed at the kunai, the majority of them were knocked aside or destroyed, unfortunately, one got through.

Sakura's eyes widened and her blade de-activated as she gasped in pain.

The kunai was lodged in Sakura's right shoulder, hindering her movements and stopping her from using her gauntlets efficiently.

The sand gennin quickly took action and swung his fans together this time, "WIND STYLE: TWIN GALE SLASH!" he yelled, launching two small tornadoes of wind blades at Sakura.

Sakura focussed her chakra and her mouth bulged before she spat out a glob of mud, it impacted the ground and created a small Earth wall which Sakura hid behind, blocking the wind attack.

Sakura sighed and activated Radical Good Speed, she turned and kicked the earth wall, "SHOCKING FIRST BULLET!" she yelled as the kick impacted.

From the two gennin's point of view, the rock suddenly shot towards them. The rock slammed into the wind user and slammed him through a wall, crushing his chest cavity instantly. "UGHK!" he managed to let out as he died.

The first gennin turned red in rage and turned to attack Sakura, he managed to duck under her kick before instantly regretting the manoeuvre.

Sakura used the momentum of her kick to spin quickly, she lifted her knee and slammed it into his face, picking him up into the air and painfully knocking out a few teeth. She placed her foot on the ground and roundhouse kicked at him with the other, "ANNIHILATING SECOND BULLET!" she screamed as her kick impacted the side of his head.

Her kick was so forceful, his head literally exploded, showering the hallway in blood as his body was flung down the hallway.

Sakura stood on her now bloody foot as the other bounced lightly due to the accelerated speed and power of her movements.

Sakura took a deep breath and yanked the kunai out of her shoulder, quickly making her way through two hand signs. "Medical Ninja Art: Mystic Palm Jutsu." She stated tiredly as she grasped her bloody shoulder, slowly healing the wound.

Sakura was about half-way healed when she took a deep breath and turned back to face the door of Temari's room, only to see a Sound Chunnin throw another kunai at her.

Naruto spear tackled his opponent from the air, knocking them into the trunk of a huge tree.

"Uhgk!" his opponent let out as he impacted heavily.

Naruto lifted his fist to punch the guy in the face, but he dodged the punch and head-butted Naruto, knocking him back.

Naruto held his bleeding nose as he stared at his opponent from his place in mid-air. 'This guy might be a challenge by myself…' sunlight glinted off of his opponent's glasses, '…I'll call him Specky.' Naruto thought.

Specky formed three hand signs and launched a sand village basic move, "WIND STYLE: WIND BALL!" he yelled.

Naruto dodged the first two balls and took the third on his left forearm. "Dammit!" he yelled as his balance was thrown off and he almost fell to the ground.

He looked up to see Specky the sand Chunnin falling at him, kunai in hand. "DIE LEAF SCUM!" he yelled.

Naruto took a moment to analyse his opponent…'Fuck it! I don't have the time for this hippie!' he thought as he pushed more chakra into his feet, raising him towards the falling Chunnin.

Naruto swung a Hidden Bone Blade as Specky swung his kunai.

Naruto's blade easily cut through the kunai and continued onwards to cut off specky's right arm. "AAH!" Specky screamed in pain as he twisted in the air and landed on his feet, 'I can't succumb to this pain! I have a mission to do!' he thought as he threw a handful of shuriken at Naruto.

Naruto spun in the air to come face-to-face with a dozen shuriken, he reacted quickly. Raising his palms he yelled, "DECAPITATING AIR WAVES!"

The wind funnels spun towards his opponent, picking up all of the airborne shuriken and carrying them back at twice the velocity.

The Chunnin substituted at the last second, appearing high in a tree and holding a one-handed seal, 'focus!' he thought.

Naruto looked around for his opponent, "Where'd you go…" he mumbled, until he heard a noise above him.

"WIND STYLE: WIND SCYTHE!"

Naruto looked up to see a visible blade of wind flying at him, it was much larger than Temari's blades of wind.

Naruto stopped focussing chakra to the tubing in his feet so that he began falling, the blade followed him, slowly catching up.

Naruto pulled out one of his shuriken and held a hand sign, "WIND STYLE: UPGRADE BLADE!" he yelled as a green hue enveloped his shuriken.

He threw the shuriken at the oncoming blade of wind, it managed to cut a gap in the jutsu, but lost it's sharpening wind when doing so.

Naruto sent chakra to his feet tubing and flew upwards, hiding in the shadow of his blade.

Specky saw the giant shuriken flying at him, "Shit!" he yelled as he barely managed to dodge it as it flew past.

He turned back to look for Naruto, only to come face to face with a massive sword.

Naruto smirked at the Chunnin's shocked face, "RISING SLASH!" he yelled as he ended his opponent's life.

Specky fell from the high tree branch, blood pouring out of the two halves of his torso. Naruto watched the fall until Specky impacted the ground with a resounding crack.

Naruto nodded to himself and turned in the direction Gaara was taken, "One down." He said as he shot off after Gaara's scent.

##########################################

Sasuke activated his Sharingan and quickly analysed the area and his opponent. Getting enough information, Sasuke started the fight with a kick, which was dodged by the Chunnin with a huge scroll on his back.

Sasuke kept attacking with Taijutsu, trying to lure the guy into a certain area, the Chunnin kept dodging and blocking.

Sasuke suddenly dummied a high punch and swapped to a leg sweep. The guy fell for the trick and was tripped easily.

Sasuke jumped up and threw down four kunai, "Activate!" he yelled as the seals on the kunai lit up.

The dude panicked and whipped his huge scroll around, ready to use it somehow.

"FIRE!" Sasuke yelled as he slammed his hand into the barrier wall.

A stream of fire shot from the corner of the barrier in the dude's blind spot and incinerated his scroll in an instant.

He stared at the ashes in fear, "NO!"he yelled.

Sasuke saw his opportunity to capture someone to use as a bargaining chip or a prisoner. "Too easy!" he said as he de-activated the barrier with a pulse of chakra.

Using the speed given to him by the curse mark, he charged forward and decked his opponent, knocking a few teeth clear.

The guys took a step back as Sasuke de-activated his curse mark and focussed his Sharingan, "Geez, what a weakling. How are you a Chunnin?" Sasuke taunted.

The sand Chunnin glared a Sasuke, trying to intimidate him. This was his last mistake as a free Shinobi.

The two made eye-contact, "VISUAL JUTSU: BRAIN FREEZE!" Sasuke yelled.

The sand Chunnin froze in his movement and started acting funny, as if his senses suddenly sent blank to his brain.

Sasuke smirked and walked closer to his opponent and made six hand signs, "Lightening Style: Thunder Wave." He said calmly.

A small jolt jumped from his hand to his opponent's chest, knocking him out of the visual jutsu, but completely unconscious.

Sasuke placed a seal on his captive's forehead, keeping him in a permanent state of unconsciousness until the seal is removed.

Sasuke dropped a basic chakra holding seal that he could use as a marker to find the body later, the same type Naruto held in his pouch.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan and searched for the trail of chakra Naruto left behind, it reached out to Sasuke's right. "Guess Naruto's already on the move." He mumbled as he tree hopped after him.

#############################

"For Konoha!" Sarutobi yelled as he charged Orochimaru with Enma in hand.

Orochimaru drew his blade from his mouth and parried the old kage's attacks, "You've gotten slow old man!" he said as he kicked Sarutobi away.

The third Hokage curled into a ball and rolled with the momentum of the kick, making it under the giant storm of rood tiles that flew over his head.

Onoki yelled as he formed the last hand signs, "EARTH STYLE: STONE SHURIKEN!"

Orochimaru dropped his sword and leapt back, forming hand signs along the way, "FORBIDDEN JUTSU: SUMMONING: EDO TENSEI!" He yelled.

A coffin rose from the ground, acting as a shield against onoki's attack. Moments later a second coffin rose as well.

Sarutobi's eyes narrowed as he read 'First' on the first coffin and 'Second' on the second, his eyes widened when the third coffin had 'Fourth' emblazoned on it.

Hiruzen quickly held the ram hand seal, "NINJA ART: JUTSU SUPPRESSION!" he yelled.

The last of the three coffins started to slowly sink back into the ground, the threat of the 'Fourth' now gone. Sarutobi stood defensively as the first two coffins opened. Onoki landed next to him.

"Is that you little monkey? You're so old." The second Hokage, Tobirama Senju asked.

"That's Hiruzen? My, how long has it been?" the first Hokage, Hashirama Senju added.

Sarutobi's eyes teared, "Orochimaru, how could you?! This is too far!" he yelled as he realised his predecessors' were torn from their eternal rest to destroy him and the Leaf village.

Onoki frowned, "This is gonna be unnecessarily hard." He mumbled as he glared at Orochimaru.

Orochimaru chuckled and slid a kunai into the backs of the heads of his puppets, "Enough chatter, time to get to work." He said as the summoned people appeared renewed physically, but they now wore no expression.

"Attack!" Orochimaru ordered.

The first two Hokages charged Sarutobi and Onoki, the Second forming hand seals.

"WATER STYLE: WATER DRILL!" he yelled as he thrust a drill of water at Sarutobi.

Hiruzen dodged lithely and jumped back, spitting out a glob of mud, "MUD FLOW RIVER!" he yelled.

A river of mud flew towards the second Hokage, knocking him off balance. Sarutobi then swung Enma and smashed Tobirama at Orochimaru.

Orochimaru ducked under the flying kage and chuckled, "Good old man." He taunted.

"SECRET WOOD STYLE JUTSU: FOREST GENESIS!"

The jutsu used by the first Hokage knocked Onoki back and disrupted his jutsu, while giving birth to a forest inside the barrier.

Onoki and Sarutobi re-grouped together and were panting, "You know Hiruzen, this is gonna be a bitch to finish." Onoki said as he levitated in mid-air.

Sarutobi nodded, "If only there was some way to disrupt this barrier, then we would have some help!" he said.

******KABOOOOOOOOOOOM******

The supports of the whole northern side of the Chunnin exams were destroyed by a massive explosion from underneath the Kage booth, near the medical area.

The battlefield shook as it was shifted from it's sturdy setting, causing the whole structure to fall towards the stadium's arena.

Onoki and Sarutobi were using their chakra to stick to some of the summoned trees as the roof collapsed, "Careful what you wish for Hiruzen!" Onoki yelled as the roof came falling to the ground.

###############################

Sakura barely ducked in time to dodge the kunai as it flew past her head. "Fuckin hell!" the sound Chunnin yelled as he whipped out a two sound gauntlets, very similar to the one Dosu used.

Sakura saw the gauntlets and stood in a defensive stance, 'if I'm hit with either one of them I'm screwed!' she thought as the Chunnin ran at her.

He lunged, swiping at her with a kunai that Sakura easily dodged since she still had RGS active. 'I can keep them active for as long as I want, but if I use my last bullet they'll disperse.' She thought as she continued dodging.

The sound Chunnin got annoyed at Sakura's constant dodging and took a step away, raising his gauntlet, "NINJA ART: INVADING SOUND!" he yelled as he slammed his gauntlets together.

Sound waves assaulted Sakura, impeding her hearing and throwing off her inner ear balance temporarily. "Shit! I didn't know he could use them at a distance!" she said as she fell to her knees.

The Chunnin chuckled, "Well you were fun, maybe I can continue with you aye? I got some time.." he said as he flicked at his belt.

Sakura could barely focus on his words and actions, but she got the picture. 'No!' she thought as she struggled to move properly.

The Chunnin stomped Sakura's right arm, shattering the bones in her forearm, "AAHH!" she yelled in pain as he went to kick her ribs.

She rolled and raised her other arm as her gauntlet activated, blocking the strike completely.

The sound Chunnin smirked, "Oh? My kitty's got claws" he sneered as he took of his belt and struck her with it.

Sakura yelled in pain as the buckle smacked into her face. 'only one shot…' she thought as her vision began to clear.

Sakura went limp and deactivated her claw as she appeared to give up, "Hehehe, I knew you couldn't hold out for long." The Sound ninja said as he leant forward, leaning over her to grasp her.

The Chunnin grasped Sakura's shoulder and neck in his hands then Sakura's eyes snapped open, "HAA!" she yelled as she activated her executioner's blade and tore the man's arms off at the elbow, also leaving a large gash in his stomach.

The Chunnin stumbled back staring at the stumps he now had instead of arms, "AAHHHH!" he screamed after a moment of shock.

Without his belt, his pants fell to the floor, causing him to fall since he was so focussed on losing his arms.

Sakura de-activated her blade, saving the last of her replenished chakra as she stood over her opponent who had rolled onto his side, still screaming. "You'll never touch anyone again!" she yelled as she channelled fire chakra and raised her leg in a football like kick.

"EXTERMINATING LAST BULLET!" she yelled.

Her kick impacted the man's stomach and set the man ablaze while launched him down the hallway, out of site and towards the centre of the stadium's supports.

**BOOOOOM**

She impact of the man's flaming body hitting something in the distance caused Sakura to hear some sizzling, 'sounds like…explosive notes?' she thought as she suddenly heard a lot more.

******KABOOOOOOOOOOOM******

Sakura's eyes widened as the flames of a giant explosion flew towards her from the shadows in the hallway's distance. "HOLY LOG!" she yelled as she dove into temari's doorway and slammed the door shut as her cheeks bulged.

"MUD WALL!" she yelled, creating an earthen barrier to hold the door together.

The explosion and the flames barrelled past the doorway, raising the temperature in the room and shaking the whole construct.

Sakura's eyes were wide in shock, 'what in the name of the log happened?' she thought.

##########################################

"Leave me alone!" Gaara screamed as he pushed his fellow sand ninja away from him.

The Chunnin shallowed hard, she spoke quietly, obviously scared of Gaara, "G-Gaara-san, we have to keep moving, otherwise those ninja will catch up!" she said.

Gaara screamed and fell to his knees on a branch, "AAAAHHHH!" he let out as his sand swirled around him.

The girl's eyes widened as the sand threw her off of the tree they stood on, "AH!" she gasped in shock as she landed harshly on a lower branch, her spine snapping at the pressure.

Gaara heard her yell of pain and turned, "The pain, mother wants you to feel it, she wants to taste it. mother, wants YOUR BLOOD!" Gaara screamed as his sand flew at her, picking her up in a sand coffin.

The Chunnin girl was scared, "NO! I don't want to die!" she screamed.

Gaara smiled, "VIOLENT SAND BURIAL!" Gaara yelled as he clenched his fist.

The girl raised her head to the sky, "AAAHHHH-"

**CRUNCH**

Blood dripped from the floating sand, the Chunnin girl's corpse slowly leaking her life essence as her body lived no more.

"WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!" Naruto yelled as he flew into the area and landed next to the girl's body.

Gaara smiled, "Mother wanted the girl's blood, so that's what she got!" he said as he turned to face Naruto.

Naruto shed a tear for the Chunnin, 'How horrible…they were comrades, she was trying to help him..' Naruto wiped his tears andstood tall, "You killed her due to your insanity?" he asked rhetorically.

Gaara smirked, "It's not insanity, it's clarity! Mother tells me all I need to know of this world! Her sand protects me, and in return, I give her blood!" he screamed insanely as sand attached to the right side of his body, forming a giant sand arm that had full mobility, as well as covering half of his face.

Naruto jumped back, 'what the fuck is this guy?!' he thought as Gaara crossed his arms.

"WIND STYLE: SAND SHURIKEN!" Gaara yelled as he swung his arm, launching a barrage of sand shuriken.

Naruto threw one of his shuriken and formed three hand signs, "SHURIKEN SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!"

The two barrages of shuriken clashed, Naruto's shuriken being strong enough to break through.

Gaara knocked away any of the shuriken that would've hit him, letting all the others fall around him. "Is that all your blood is worth Uzumaki?!" Gaara screamed as he leapt at Naruto, surprisingly fast for such a beefy being.

Naruto ducked under the giant's fist and placed his palm on Gaara's stomach, "DECAPITATING AIR WAVE!" Naruto yelled.

The funnel of cutting wind launched Gaara into the air, rising above the treetops.

"SEALING ART: ANTI-GRAVITY FIELD"

A blue barrier surrounded Gaara's airborne form thanks to Sasuke's technique, suspending him in the air.

Sasuke landed next to Naruto, his Sharingan actively analysing Gaara. "Otouto, he's drawing from a second power source! That's not his chakra!" Sasuke said in shock.

The pieces fell together in Naruto's head, 'Kyuubi, is it possible Gaara is a jinchuuriki like me? Is HE the sand village's weapon?' Naruto thought.

**'I think so, his presence felt familiar before but now with the chakra seeping out I can say for certain. That boy is the container of Shukaku, the Ichibi sand tanuki. He is the first of the nine Bijuu' **Kyuubi said to Naruto, Confirming his suspicions.

"Aniki, you're not gonna like this." Naruto mumbled as Gaara screamed from his place in the sky, drawing sand and dirt to his form from the ground below him.

Sasuke frowned as he saw a tail of sand form on Gaara, it being too long to fit in the barrier; he disrupted the seal, now falling to the ground. "What is it Otouto?" he asked.

Naruto took a deep breath and de-activated his weights, "Gaara is a jinchuuriki like me, but something is wrong, his seal must be fucked up or something." Naruto said as an afterthought.

Sasuke scowled, "Just our luck." He said as Gaara landed on the branch of a thick spruce.

Gaara smiled crazily at the two leaf gennin, "Show me your STRENGTH!" he screamed as he leapt at the duo.

Sasuke threw the blade of his weapon into the branch above him and dropped backwards, as Naruto leapt onto a tree trunk behind their position.

Gaara tried to continue towards Naruto, when the chain of Sasuke's weapon glowed with lightening, knocking Gaara off balance and onto the branch where the two Konoha Nin originally stood.

Naruto turned and used the air-holes in his feet to launch himself at Gaara, starting to spin as he channelled wind chakra through his claws.

"WIND STYLE: TSUUGA!"

Naruto disappeared in a black and green tornado as he spun past Gaara, slashing open his left side, the only part which was still uncovered by sand.

"ARR!" Gaara yelled as he began to bleed again, "STOP IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!" he screamed.

Sasuke swung from his chain up behind Gaara, he let go of the chain and formed some hand seals, "Otouto, boost!" Sasuke yelled as he held his last sign.

Naruto stopped his spin and turned, taking a deep breath, "WIND STYLE: GREAT BREAKTHOUGH!" he yelled as he blew out, pushing Sasuke forward with the huge gust.

Sasuke was launched at Gaara at tremendous speeds as he pushed his right hand forward, holding a searing ball of lightening, "CHIDORI!" he yelled as he shot past Gaara.

Sasuke landed and turned to face Gaara, who just had his arm of sand cut off and his real arm electrically burned. "AAAAHHHHH!" Gaara screamed as he fell from the branch in pain, much more sand coming to his aid, "ENOUGH!" he yelled as thousands of tons of sand flowed from the ground and surrounded his body.

Naruto landed next to Sasuke as Sasuke picked up his kusarigama, "This doesn't look good," Naruto mumbled.

Sasuke nodded, "Hn." He grunted in affirmation.

The sand continued to grow is size, taking form of a giant tanuki demon, the Shukaku.

Sasuke frowned, "Otouto, I think I see something on its head, go check it out, but be careful. I'm going to distract It." he said.

Naruto nodded and flew into the air as Sasuke quickly summoned his sealing utensils from the storage seals in his wrists, ten seconds later, Sasuke's seal was finished.

Sasuke activated his curse seal, 'hope this works.' He thought as he remembered Pikkon's move from the exams.

The sand finally finished forming and Gaara rose from the monster's forehead, "MOTHER WILL KILL YOU ALL! SHE WILL BATHE IN YOUR BLOOD!" he screamed as he made two hand seals.

Naruto flew up to the head as Gaara yelled, "PLAYING POSSUM JUTSU!" and subsequently, fell asleep.

Naruto raised a brow, "What was the point of that?" he asked. He was answered with silence.

Naruto looked at the face of the tanuki and noticed it's eyes, they span twice before glowing gold.

"**I'M FREE BITCHES!"** the one tail yelled as it took control of it's body of sand.

Naruto gasped and began to fly back to Sasuke, "**Oooh, a snack!" **it said as it reached for Naruto.

Naruto spun in mid-air and dodged the grab, "**hold still!" **the Shukaku ordered.

Naruto yelled in shock as he dodged again, but only just. "Where's that distraction Sasuke!" Naruto yelled.

"ACTIVATE!" Sasuke yelled as he threw the newly drawn seal tag at Shukaku's leg.

The seal tag stuck and suddenly, storm clouds began to form. "Yes!" Sasuke said in victory as the tag began to take effect.

Naruto flew up, getting out of range of Shukaku's grasping hands, "**Oi! Get back here!**" it said with a frown.

Naruto and Sasuke regrouped, "What do we do? And what's with the rain Sasuke?! What kind of distraction was that?!" Naruto yelled.

Sasuke smirked, "Naruto think about it logically, the Kage of the village is busy fighting off a major threat, so who would be the next person to appear when a demon attacks?" Sasuke asked rhetorically as he de-activated his curse mark.

*BOOM*

A giant toad landed in front of the Shukaku, it wore a blue jacket and held a giant kodaichi, smoking pipe in hand it yelled, "**We're fighting the one tail? This'll be a tough one.**" Gamabunta said.

"OI BRATS! GET UP HERE!" the two gennin looked up to see Jiraiya riding the head of the toad boss, immediately Naruto flew upwards, pulling Sasuke with him.

"What are you doing here Ero-sensei?" Naruto asked as the two landed.

Jiraiya looked at the two seriously. "I am here to put a stop to this demon. Sasuke, I'll need you to stay so that you can analyse his seal when I've pinned him down. Naruto, your needed in the village." Jiraiya said.

Sasuke nodded with a determined frown while Naruto yelled, "What?! I'm not leaving you two!"

Gamabunta leapt into the air, away from Shukaku as Jiraiya turned sternly, his orders clear, "Listen to me, Orochimaru somehow summoned the first and second Hokages back to life. They seem to be immortal, healing themselves from any damage inflicted upon them. The body is infallible, but the soul is not. Get what I'm saying Naruto!?" Jiraiya yelled as the huge toad landed.

Naruto's eyes widened, **"Hey Jiraiya! I need some help here! The rain is slowing him down but he's a demon for a reason!" **Gamabunta said as he put his pipe away.

Jiraiya yelled, "GO NARUTO!"

Naruto jumped into the air and channelled chakra to the tubing in his legs, flying as fast as he could towards the Chunnin exam arena, 'I'm coming jiji!' he thought as he reached his maximum.

Jiraiya turned back to face the Shukaku as Sasuke stood next to him, "Let's go Bunta!" Jiraiya yelled as they leapt into battle.

#################################

"Sixty-Three!" Maito Gai yelled as he kicked an enemy ninja's skull in. "I'm on a roll Kakashi!"

Gai dropped low as Kakashi leapt over him, stabbing a sound nin in the neck at the same time Gai stood, protecting his comrade's back with a swift kick to a sand nin's spine.

"Is this really the right time of one of your challenges Gai?" Kakashi asked as he drop kicked the head of a ninja who was diving at Gai with a sword, snapping his neck instantly.

Gai laughed, "Haha! Afraid of losing?!" he yelled as he used the corps of one enemy as a hammer on the back on another.

Kakashi ducked and rolled past two men who were trying to attack him, he pushed their hands making their strikes tilt just enough to kill each other. "How many did you say you have?" Kakashi asked as he formed some hand signs.

Gai punched a sound nin's chest cavity inwards, "That's Sixty-Seven!" he yelled.

Gai felt Kakashi's build-up of chakra and ducked, "FIRE STYLE: PHEONIX FLOWER JUTSU!" Kakashi yelled as he held a hand to his mouth.

Kakashi shot twenty small sized fireballs into the fray of warring ninjas, his superb aim killing sixteen enemies and injuring four others, "That's Eighty-two, try to keep up Gai." Kakashi said with an eye-smile as he whipped out a kunai.

Gai's answering laughter bellowed, "Ah that's more like it Kakashi! Get ready to feel THE POWER OF-"

******KABOOOOOOOOOOOM******

"..youth?" Gai said as the stadium shook.

"LOOK THERE!"

Kakashi and Gai turned and saw the northern quarter of the arena collapsing, including the kage box. "Hokage-sama!" Kakashi yelled in shock as he saw the aged warrior falling through the air on a tree.

The large barrier fell and instantly, Anbu and Jonin started to enter the airborne forest, seeking to aid their leader as the construct hit the ground.

Orochimaru jumped clear of the debris, landing on one side of the arena wall, his revived warriors next to him. In moments he was surrounded by all the sound ninja that were in the arena and many of the sand. "NINJA OF THE ALLIANCE, FIGHT WITH ME!" Orochimaru yelled as he held his sword to the sky.

Sarutobi and Onoki stood back on the opposite side of the arena, "This is not how I thought my day would go," Onoki mumbled.

Sarutobi stood tall, "KONOHA NINJA!" he yelled. "WE STAND TOGETHER TO FIGHT OFF THIS INVASION! TAKE OUT ALL NINJA FROM THE SAND AND SOUND! TSUCHIKAGE-DONO, THE ELITE TRIO AND MYSELF WILL TAKE OROCHIMARU AND HIS SUMMONS! ELIMINATE ALL THREATS FROM THE VILLAGE!"

"HAI HOKAGE-SAMA!" the ninja of Konoha yelled.

Kakashi blinked in shock, "Did he just call us back into duty Gai?" he asked.

Anko landed between the two, "Yes he did! Ready boys?!" she yelled.

Gai's laughter bellowed, "LET'S SHOW THEM THE POWER OF TEAMWORK!" he yelled at the three ninja leapt to battle against the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.

#######################################################################

Chapter end


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen: Battles of the invasion part 2

"**WIND STYLE: AIR BULLET!" **Shukaku yelled as it whacked its stomach, blasting giant balls of wind at Gamabunta.

"**WATER STYLE: WATER BULLET!" **Bunta yelled in return, shooting enoughto block every bullet, or so he thought.

"There's another one!" Sasuke yelled as he held on to Bunta.

Jiraiya leapt into the air, a large ball of chakra in hand. "GRAND RASENGAN!" he yelled as he slammed his jutsu against the massive air bullet.

Shukaku's attack dissipated due to the rotation of the rasengan.

Sasuke stared in awe, 'this is the power of a sannin?' he thought as Jiraiya made a hand sign.

"BUNTA! THE OIL! SASUKE! THE POWER STREAM SEAL!" Jiraiya yelled as he took a deep breath.

Sasuke threw his readied kunai into the air at the same time Gamabunta shot a glob of oil and Jiraiya a fireball. "TOAD FLAME BOMB!" Jiraiya yelled out.

The fireball contacted the oil and created a giant flaming storm that hit Sasuke's seal.

Sasuke pulsed his chakra, "ACTIVATE!"he yelled.

The seal burst black moments before the firestorm hit it, the result was explosive.

The firestorm turned into a HUGE stream of flames shooting at Shukaku, "**that's a bitch.**" Shukaku mumbled as he raised his arms to hopefully block the attack.

Sasuke smirked at the attack hit home, 'Thank the Log I saw Pikkon use this earlier.' He thought as he saw the end result of the attack combination.

With the constant rain, Shukaku's body of sand slowed dramatically and cooled down a large amount. The sudden super heat of the enhanced toad flame bomb turned the demon's arms and most of it's torso to solid glass.

"**huh? What the hell is this shit?!**" the tanuki yelled as it tried to move it's useless arms.

"**You guys gotta take out the medium, I'll get you in close. You guys do the rest, got it?"** Bunta said as he leaned back on his haunches.

Jiraiya smirked and turned to Sasuke, "Got it brat? We'll get you close then you hit him hard!" he yelled.

Sasuke stood next to Jiraiya, "Me? Why do I have to do it?" he asked in shock.

Jiraiya grinned widely as Gamabunta leapt at their opponent, "As my apprentice you gotta do what I say, so go for it!" he yelled as he grabbed Sasuke's arm and spun around, sending chakra to his muscles for a strength boost.

Bunta landed with all his weight, shattering Shukaku's arms upon contact, "**OW!**" the demon yelled, still not taking his opposition seriously.

"OFF YOU GO!" Jiraiya yelled as he threw Sasuke as hard as he could towards the demon's forehead and Gaara's prone form.

Sasuke activated his curse mark mid-flight, it shot down his left arm and focussed around his fist. "WAKE UP!" he screamed as he punched Gaara hard enough to launch him from the head in one punch.

Gaara's eyes opened as he flew through the air, "NO!" he yelled as he turned to face Sasuke.

Gaara's eyes widened when Sasuke threw the blade of his kusarigama at him, it wrapped around his torso and pulled them towards each other. "THIS IS IT!" Sasuke yelled as his curse mark pulsed.

Gaara stared at Sasuke's approaching fist in shock, 'mother?' was his last thought before Sasuke's fist crunched into his face.

*BAM*

Gaara was flung around like a rag doll as the two gennin fell to the earth, as the two got nearer to the earth, Sasuke tapped into a deeper section of the curse seal as it covered his entire body.

Sasuke pulled Gaara below him, his Sharingan spinning. "Ura-Renge!" Sasuke yelled as he slammed his arm and leg into Gaara's unprotected stomach just as he had seen Lee do.

**BOOOM**

Gaara impacted the ground, creating a small crater.

Sasuke landed on wobbly feet as his curse mark receded, "Heh, no one can beat Konoha." he mumbled.

Sasuke stumbled towards Gaara, slowly pulling his weapon back to himself.

Gaara stared, scared of Sasuke "No! Stay back!" Gaara tried to yell, his voice hoarse.

Sasuke smirked, "I'm going to help you Gaara. Nothing can stop me from doing that."

Gaara's eyes widened, "…why? Why would you do that?" he asked.

Sasuke smirked, "You're a jinchuuriki, so is my brother. I can't help but see some of him in you."

Gaara gasped, "Someone… like me?" he asked.

Sasuke nodded as he kneeled next to Gaara, "Yeah."

"Who is he?" Gaara asked.

Sasuke smirked, "Naruto Uzumaki." He answered.

Gaara's eyes widened, "But he was happy, yet he was still strong…how? How is he so strong? So…good?" he asked.

Sasuke smiled a true smile as Jiraiya landed behind them, "Naruto, he fights to protect everything he cares about. His family, his friends and most importantly the village." He said.

Gaara's wide eyes turned to the sky, 'he fights to protect…he fights..out of love.' He thought.

Jiraiya put a hand on the young red head's shoulder, "Rest easy, Gaara of the Sand. You'll be better than ever when you next wake up." Jiraiya said as he placed a seal on the captive's forehead softly.

Gaara smiled as he fell unconscious, 'the people who saved me, were my enemy…Konoha…' he thought as everything went dark.

################################################################

Anko dodged to her left with a roll, narrowly avoiding the spiked branch that flew past her, "How the fuck did we get into this mess?!" she yelled as she charged forward holding a hand sign.

"DYNAMIC ENTRY!" Gai yelled as he flew over her head towards the legendary warrior.

The First focussed his chakra and a tree grew from the ground, blocking Gai's kick, but being split down the middle from the force of it.

Gai jumped as Anko ran below him, "STRIKING SHADOW SNAKES!" she yelled as her snakes shot from her sleeves, between the two halves of the split tree and towards the First.

The legendary Hokage was about to dodge when suddenly he was immobilized by the death grip of a shadow clone of Kakashi. "Got you!" it yelled.

Anko's snakes tore into the skin of the wood user, only to find their poisons useless against an already dead body.

"Plan B!" Anko yelled as she pulled her snakes back.

The Kakashi clone convulsed, "SHADOW CLONE EXPLOSION!" it yelled before blowing up, taking Hashirama with it.

Kakashi dropped down behind Gai, "Good work Kakashi!" Gai said with a thumbs up.

Anko smiled at Kakashi but frowned when she saw his Sharingan spinning, "He's still alive?" she asked.

Kakashi nodded, "He just began regenerating. How do we beat the strongest ninja in existence if he just gets back up?"

The smoke cleared to show dirt forming the rest of the wood user's body from where his decapitated head sat. Anko noticed this, "Hey, maybe we gotta get rid of the head? That seems to be his regeneration point." She said.

Kakashi's eyes widened in realisation, "That must be the anchor of Orochimaru's jutsu!" he said in realisation.

That moment, Hashirama rose to his feet still with a dead expression on his face.

Kakashi stepped back, "Let's try to get in close, Beast you lead with Taijutsu, I'll follow with my Ninjutsu and try to finish this. Snake, we'll need your support."

Anko chuckled, "Back to the old codenames?" she asked rhetorically.

Kakashi was about to respond when Gai pushed the two separate and threw a punch. It connected with the kick Hashirama threw.

The force of the impact tossed the two apart, "Let's go!" he yelled as they clashed again in taijutsu.

#########################################

"WATER DRAGON!"

"EARTH GOLEM!"

Tobirama's huge water dragon was taken down by the fist of Onoki's Golem, if only barely, "That all ya got?!" the aged Tsuchikage yelled as he flew into the air.

The Second Hokage continued to launch water projectiles and the old man continued to dodge, 'this is a piece of cake! He can't hit from down there.' Onoki thoughtas he continued to dodge.

Tobirama suddenly stopped attacking and turned to walk further into the village, causing onoki's eyes to widen. 'Crap! I have to actually stop him! Stalling doesn't mean shit these days!' he thought as he nosedived at the Second Hokage.

Tobirama turned around in time for the miniature Kage to crash _through_his chest. Onoki turned, ready to hit again when he saw the dead man begin to regenerate, "Ooh dammit to hell!" he yelled as he dodged the Hokage's punch.

Onoki frowned, 'he's too fast for me, if I could just find some way to keep him still I can disintegrate him with my Dust style jutsu…but how?' he thought as he kicked the Second in the jaw only to receive a punch to the chest, causing the two to separate.

Onoki hovered just above head-height, "Here goes nothing!" he yelled as he charged again.

##################################################################################

*CLANG*

Sarutobi span and lunged forward with his staff.

*CLANG*

Orochimaru knocked the blow aside with his Grass Cutter Blade.

*CLANG*CLANG*CLANG*

Sarutobi dodged Orochimaru's stab and slammed Orochimaru's head with Enma. But it was dodged with a substitution.

Sarutobi spun quickly, kicking Orochimaru in the stomach, knocking away what revealed itself to be a mud clone. "Why are you doing this Orochimaru?! What's the point?!" the third Hokage yelled.

Orochimaru morphed out of the ground, "Sensei, don't your remember? I was going to be the Yondaime, I was going to get access to all of this village's jutsu including the clans' jutsus aswell. And you just had to pick that blonde bastard!" Orochimaru sneered as he formed hand signs.

Sarutobi threw Enma into the air as Orochimaru launched his jutsu, "NINJA ART: SNAKE PIT!" Orochimaru said as he leant forward, spitting out numerous snakes.

Hiruzen smirked as he pulled out a purple seal, 'thank you Sasuke' he thought as he aimed it forward. "Seal Release!" he yelled.

Orochimaru's eyes opened in shock when the most toxic poison flew towards him, killing all the snakes instantly. 'What? That's Manda's poison!' Orochimaru thought as he formed two hand signs, "WIND STYLE: GREAT BREAKTHROUGH!"

Hiruzen smirked and held up Sasuke's seal again, channelling chakra into the already written seal work. "SEALING ART: FUNNEL SEALING METHOD!"

Orochimaru watched on extremely confused as the giant poison cloud disappeared in what appeared to be Hiruzen's palm. "What is this trickery?!" Orochimaru yelled.

Hiruzen dropped the seal as it stung to hold for too long, "Were those hand seals I saw Orochimaru?! One of my gennin can do that jutsu without seals!" Hiruzen yelled, pissing off Orochimaru on purpose.

Orochimaru scowled and glared, "No gennin could do that! They would have to be a master of wind chakra!" Orochimaru yelled angrily.

Sarutobi was about to attack Orochimaru while he was unfocused, when he heard something truly shocking.

"ULTIMATE WIND COMBINATION!"

The three Kage level fights stopped as all the fighters looked up to see Naruto floating in midair, his arms above his head.

##################################################################################

Naruto gritted his teeth as his eyes turned red as he channelled Kyuubi's chakra so that he had enough control to pull off his combination, 'NOW!' he thought as he pulsed wind chakra.

**"WIND STYLE: AIR MISSILE!" he **yelled as the huge jutsu formed above his head.

**"TSUUGA!"** he yelled as he tunnelled into the centre of the wind ball.

#################################################################################

Sarutobi and Kakashi's eyes widened, "This might not end well." Kakashi mumbled as he waved Anko and Gai towards him.

"Dog, what's Naruto doing?" Gai asked.

Kakashi pulled up his headband, watching the chakra in the jutsu settled, "He's done it!" Kakashi yelled as he refocused on their opponent, who was running over to Orochimaru. "Get ready for a show you two." He mumbled as he watched on.

#################################################################################

Sarutobi frowned, 'hope he knows what he's doing.' He thought as Onoki landed next to him and the second Hokage next to Orochimaru.

"What the hell is that brat doing?! And how does he have that much chakra?!" Onoki asked as the ninjas stared at the ball of whirling winds.

Sarutobi smirked as the ball began to spin faster, "He's saving us a lot of trouble."

################################################################################

Up in the ball, Naruto was being lightly cut all over his body, 'not yet!' he thought as he sent chakra into the tubing on his arm, pulling instead of pushing.

**"WIND STYLE: SUCTION!"** he yelled.

The huge wind ball's sides began to shrink in on themselves, forming an ovular hurricane that started to pull up lose debris.

Naruto span as fast as he could, **"WIND STYLE: TSUUGA!"** he said as he once again used the enhanced Inuzuka technique to take control of the now bullet shaped wind super storm and speeding up the rotation while adding blades of wind to the mix.

################################################################################

Back on the ground, Sarutobi turned to Onoki. "Do you have a way to hold those two still?!" he tried to yell over the noise of the hurricane.

Onoki frowned for a moment before nodding, "Yeah! I got something!" he yelled as he began to form hand signs.

#################################################################################

Orochimaru couldn't look away from the awesome power and control Naruto was showing, "so much power, it's beautiful…" he mumbled to himself.

Suddenly, two earth spires shot up from the ground, encasing Orochimaru's hands and his feet. "What?!" Orochimaru yelled as he struggled to move, now realising the danger he was in.

He turned to the second Hokage only to see him caught as well. "NO!" he yelled as he looked up, feeling the wind shift.

##################################################################################

Naruto gritted his teeth as he turned the jutsu upside down and dove towards Orochimaru, **"I WON'T LET YOU HURT THE LEAF VILLAGE ANYMORE!"** he yelled as he clapped his hands above his head.

**"WIND STYLE: MOTION SICKNESS!"**

The hurricane shook for a second before being shot downward at mach speeds, becoming a spinning wind bullet, as powerful as Shukaku's yet with blades of wind throughout it as well.

##################################################################################

Orochimaru watched his death approach him, 'This… is this the end? Is this all my ambition is worth?' he thought as the wind blades began to hit the ground around him.

##################################################################################

The elite trio landed a section of the roof of the stadium, "Is that really Naruto?!" Gai asked as they watched the wind jutsu plummet towards the village's greatest enemy.

Anko starred on in awe, "He can do it…Naruto-chan. YOU CAN DO IT!" She yelled as she stood with a cheer.

Kakashi chuckled at her attitude when Gai said, "That must be near unstoppable! The only person I could imagine even slowing it down would be either the deceased Madara Uchiha or The First Hokage himself."

Kakashi froze for a moment before his eyes widened, "The First! Shit!" he yelled as he scanned the battlefield with his Sharingan eye.

##################################################################################

Orochimaru gritted his teeth, "WHAT DO I DO?!" he screamed as the jutsu was bearing down on his position.

Suddenly, the revived Hashirama Senju landed in front of Orochimaru, holding the final hand seal of his jutsu, "SECRET WOOD STYLE: INTERFERANCE OF MOTHER NATURE!" he yelled as he slammed his hands on the ground.

A small sapling popped from the ground, then suddenly nature chakra began to flow out of the sapling and up into the sky, heading straight for Naruto's jutsu.

Orochimaru smirked as the nature chakra took the loose form of a four armed woman, 'I will win!' he thought in wicked glee.

##################################################################################

Naruto grimaced as he saw the humongous four armed female appear in front of him, "**COME ON!**" he yelled as his technique hit her stomach.

The nature chakra was extremely potent, though not fighting back in any way, it took Naruto rotating twice his maximum speed to dig through it. "**HAAAAA!**"

Naruto got through the storm and smirked, 'I can still do this!' he thought.

The sudden laps in concentration caused him to lose his grasp on the fox's chakra, "No!" he gasped as his jutsu began to lose it's power.

Naruto's jutsu expanded, now out of his control. It fully dispersed the jutsu of the First Hokage.

Naruto gritted his teeth and using only his own power, he span in the opposite direction, expelling chakra from all his tenketsu. "KAITEN!" he yelled.

Most of the jutsu was pulled back towards Naruto, giving him a final boost as he shot towards the enemy's leader, a wind storm following behind him. "I'm not done yet!" Naruto yelled as he flew directly at the first Hokage's form.

##################################################################################

Orochimaru's eyes widened as they attack rekindled it's strength, approaching him once again. "Defend me!" he yelled as a stray wind blade cut the second Hokage's right arm and leg off.

The First Hokage stood strong and crossed his arms, since he had no chakra left for a jutsu.

Naruto saw this and smirked, Naruto came within a meter of the first Hokage and…stopped spinning.

The jutsu Naruto had dragged through the air behind him caught up quickly and over took Naruto, attacking Orochimaru and the two kages, slashing and pushing them around.

Orochimaru dodged many of the wind blades until enough weakened his earthen cuffs, "HAA!" he yelled as he ripped his arms free. He looked up just in time to be battered by the main body of the ball of wind. "AAAAHHH!" he yelled as he was blasted through the air, slamming into the arena wall.

The second Hokage was continuously cut through until he blasted away by the impact of the jutsu hitting Orochimaru's body.

The main body of the jutsu barely swooped over the first Hokage, instead focussing on Orochimaru and the Second, but before he could move, wind blades materialised and began cutting his borrowed body to pieces. He turned to look at the origin of the wind blades as his arms were cut off, only to see the palm of Naruto's hand.

"NINJA ART: SOULD DRAIN!"

The First Hokage's eyes widened as his soul was ripped from his borrowed body, quite easily since he had the same amount of chakra as an academy student at the moment.

The wind storm slowly dispersed as Naruto fell to his knees in exhaustion and pain, "AAHHHH!" he yelled as he fell unconscious, into the arms of Kakashi.

"Snake! Clear the way! We need to move him from the battlefield! Beast! Help the kages defeat the Nindaime and Orochimaru!" Kakashi yelled.

"Hai Captain Wolf!" the two said in unison.

Anko turned and melded some hand signs, "FIRE STYLE: FIRE SERPANT!" she yelled as she spat a giant burning snake that burrowed through the debris, making a tunnel to the outside of the arena via the medical ward.

She turned back to Kakashi only to dodge a water drill, "Tobirama-sama has recovered!" she yelled as she barely rolled out of the way of a kick.

Gai used his insane speed to punch Tobirama away, "GO!" he yelled to his ex team mates.

The other two of the Elite Trio quickly ran down the tunnel, carrying Naruto with them.

Gai ducked a punch and kicked Tobirama away, only to be blindsided by a water clone "I could really use some help right now," Gai muttered as he was put on the defensive by three water clones and the real Kage.

"DUST STYLE: DUST ARROW!"

A small arrow appearing to be made of dust shot through the stomachs of all four Tobiramas, Onoki landed next to Gai as the water clones collapsed and the second Hokage stumbled backwards. "The Green Beast, this will be much easier if we fight together." He said as he lifted back into the air.

Gai smiled and leapt to the side, "Tsuchikage-sama! It would be my honour to fight alongside someone with as much youth as you do!" he yelled as he ducked a punch and rolled away.

Onoki flew over the rolling Jonin and kicked at the Second Hokage, his kick was blocked but it still managed to push Tobirama away.

Gai paused for a moment, "Tsuchikage-sama! My Eternal Rival told discovered that by destroying the head of the target, the jutsu will collapse on itself!" he said as Tobirama stood again.

Onoki smiled, "Fantastic! Gai, I need you to hold him still for a moment, I don't care how just do it!" he ordered as he flew up into the air and began forming a small cube.

Gai smiled and met Tobirama's punch with his own, "Time to let my flames of youth explode!" Gai yelled as he forced open the first two gates.

Tobirama began firing hundreds of water bullets at Gai, who battered them all away with his fists and feet.

He head butted through the last one, smiling widely, "Nothing like a cold shower to wake oneself up!" he yelled as he jumped into the air, "DYNAMIC ENTRY!" he yelled as he flew towards the water master.

Tobirama spat a ball of water at his feet, "WATER WALL!" he said, blocking the kick with the uprising water.

Gai smirked and rode the rising water into the air. "HOOOOOH!" Gai yelled,

"THE FOUTH GATE! OPEN!"

Gai's skin turned red as his body began to glow with green energy, "YOOOOUUUTH!" he yelled as he chakra hopped at incredible speed straight down the funnel of the Hokage's jutsu.

Tobirama looked up in time to be punched in the face with enough force to snap his neck.

The second merely cracked it back and healed.

Gai kicked the ground, causing a massive boulder to shoot into the air, "BADA-BOOM!" he yelled as he kicked the boulder, launching it at the Hokage.

The Second merely formed hand signs, "SLICING WATER WAVES!" he said as he flung rings of water at the boulder.

It was split to pieces, falling to the ground in front of the Hokage, but it's job was done.

Gai appeared behind the Second Hokage, foot swinging as flames bounced of it, "DECAPITATION!" He yelled as his kick landed.

The kick launched the second hokag'e head from his body launching it into the, about twenty meters in front of Onoki.

Onoki smirked, "DUST STYLE: PARTICLE BOMB!" he yelled as he launched his attack forward.

The jutsu enlarged into a large sized cube, a smaller blue ball in it's centre. Then it impacted, causing a huge explosion that pushed both Gai and Onoki backwards.

The dust settled to show Tobirama's body turning to dust, revealing a child underneath the skin of the Kage.

Onoki landed next to Gai, "That was splendid work, Green Beast of Konoha." he said between pants, 'I haven't had to use that much chakra in a while.' He thought.

Gai reclosed the six gates that he opened, falling to his knees as most of his muscles tore and some bones cracked. "Thankyou…Onoki..sama." he said as he fell onto his hands.

The Tsuchikage's eyes widened, "What's wrong with ya then?" he asked as he used his gravity technique to float again, this time bringing Gai with him.

Gai coughed, "Nothing tha-cough cough- that some youthful time in the hospital won't fix." He said as he passed out.

Onoki cursed, "Shit! Where's the hospital in the village?!" he yelled as he rose higher into the sky, looking for a sign.

In the distance he saw many injured ninja walking in the direction of the western part of the village, "I hope I'm right," he muttered as he flew as fast as he could towards the cluster of ninja.

##################################################################################

Kakashi stopped as he and Anko carried Naruto through the tunnel, "Something's wrong." He muttered.

Anko turned and picked Naruto off of Kakashi's back, "We don't have time to stop Kakashi-kun! If you really think something that bad has happened go back! I can get Naruto-chan to the hospital!" she yelled as she continued running.

Kakashi hesitated a moment before nodding, "Alright, I'll be back soon." Kakashi said as he began running back to the arena.

Anko glanced back over her shoulder at Kakashi's retreating form, "You'd better come back to me, Kashi-kun." She mumbled as she turned forward again.

##################################################################################

Sarutobi fell to his knees as his right foot was cut off by the bitten of a large snake, "AAHHH!" he yelled as he panted heavily. 'Dammit! I had the advantage! I'm just too damn old!' he thought as he rolled out of the way of the snake's tail as it slammed down on his current position.

Orochimaru panted and leaned on his sword, much blood running from the stump of his right arm which was cut off just below the elbow. "Wretched Monkey! Now I can't do my strongest jutsus!" he yelled in frustration.

The Hokage rolled backwards and pushed himself into the air using his good foot, "FIRE STYLE: DRAGON FLAME BOMBS!" He yelled as he spat man-sized fireballs at the snake and his master.

The snake was hit, it screamed before dispelling in a cloud of smoke. Orochimaru managed to dodge all the fireballs heading his way, "DIE!" he yelled as he pitched his blade at Hiruzen.

The third Hokage tried to dodge again but he accidently kicked his stump of a foot, "Ah!" he yelled as the pain forced him to fall.

The Kusanagi sword went straight through Sarutobi's stomach, not stabbing through any major organs, but slicing many of them. "UGHK!" he said as he fell to his side.

Orochimaru raised his arm, about to eviscerate his ex sensei by manipulating his weapon into slashing, when a chirping noise was heard behind him.

Orochimaru turned in time to see Kakashi charging at him.

"RAIKIRI: LIGHTENING BLADE!" Kakashi screamed as he lunged.

Orochimaru tried to move out of the way, the attack missed his head, but seared off his left arm at the shoulder. "AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Orochimaru screamed in pain.

Kakashi continued his lunge, flying passed the armless enemy and running towards his fallen Kage, "Hokage-sama!" He yelled as he slid to Hiruzen's side.

Hirusen coughed, "Take the blade out Kakashi! He hasn't activated the blade's poison so I won't die just yet!" he said weakly.

Kakashi quickly but carefully pulled the sword out. Causing Sarutobi to yelp in pain, gaining the attention of Orochimaru.

Orochimaru seethed, "NO! HE WILL DIE!" Orochimaru yelled.

Kakashi turned and lifted his headband, revealing his Sharingan, "Not while I'm alive!" he yelled as he stood defensively.

Orochimaru's vision was blurring, 'I've lost too much blood! I can't finish this today, FUCK!' he thought as he stumbled back.

"Orochimaru-sama!"

The sound four landed around Orochimaru in a protective position. "We'll kill them!" Sakon said as he took a step forward.

Orochimaru shouted, "NO! I will kill them both on another date, get me to Kabuto now!" he ordered.

Tayuya nodded, "Hai Orochimaru-sama. Jirobo!" she ordered.

Jirobo nodded and picked up the weakened Snake sannin on his back, "Let's go!"

Kakashi ran at them, "You think I'll let you?!" he yelled as he whipped out a kunai.

The five sound nin leapt away and Kakashi followed as Kidomaru turned in mid-air, "SPIDER-WEB NET!" he yelled as he spat webbing at Kakashi.

Kakashi went to slash the webbing away, but was shocked to find his kunai couldn't cut through.

Kakashi was thrown to the ground by the webbing, "Shit!" he yelled in frustration as the quintet got away.

Kakashi rolled to a stop next to Hiruzen, "I'm sorry Hokage-sama, I let them escape." He said.

Hiruzen coughed, "No need to apologize-cough cough-,I hope you understand, you just played a major role in destroying Orochimaru's plan. He will actively have you hunted now." Hiruzen said with another cough.

"Hokage-sama! Kakashi-sempai!" an anbu squad landed by the two and immediately began to help them.

Kakashi sighed, "Thank you for helping us. But really, you guys are supposed to be the elite, where the hell do you get off letting those four ninja getting close to Hokage-sama's fight. And even worse, it took you TWO WHOLE MINUTES to realise they were here!" he yelled as he was finally set free of the webs. "Hokage-sama, I request to re-train some of these Anbu." Kakashi asked.

With the hole in his stomach closed thanks to the team's medical ninja, Hiruzen nodded. "Alright Kakashi. You got it, and thank you. You really saved my life there." He finished with a wince as the medic ninja began to heal his stump.

##################################################################################

Jiraiya landed with Sasuke's captured sand nin over his shoulder, Sasuke next to him piggy backing Gaara.

The two walked up to the gate of the village, watching as the fighting ended between ninjas, the sand ninjas suddenly giving up, and the sound nin being overrun.

Jiraiya smirked, "I guess we won this one. How bout we drop your prisoner off at the hospital and make our way over to see Hiruzen-sensei? I'm sure he'll be able to set up a room for us to use so we can seal this kid up." He said.

Sasuke nodded, "Seems like a fine plan to me Ero-sensei." Sasuke answered with a smirk.

Jiraiya frowned, "Geez, first Naruto and now you? Give me a break…" Jiraiya muttered.

##################################################################################

Chapter end


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen: Recovery, Planning for the future.

**_Mindscape._**

Naruto rolled of the couch and landed on his face, "Ow." He murmured. He didn't move from his spot.

"Oi brat, get up. There is someone here who wants to meet you." Zabuza said.

Naruto opened his eyes and rolled onto his back, looking up he saw Akamaru sitting at the top of his head. "Arf!" he said as he licked Naruto's nose.

Naruto reached up and patted Akamaru before being pulled to his feet by Mizuki, "Naruto, I'd like to introduce you to someone." He said as he turned Naruto towards the table.

Naruto looked up and his eyes widened, "Naruto, this is The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju."

Hashirama stood and smiled to Naruto, "Naruto Uzumaki, it is an honour. Thank you for stopping me from destroying the village." He said politely.

Naruto's jaw dropped "H-Hokage-sama?" he asked in shock.

Hashirama nodded and stood in front of Naruto, "I need you to do me a favour, when you separate me from this body can you take it outside? It is not mine and I know the little boy's family will want bury him properly." The first said.

Naruto nodded, "Sure thing, umm you want me to do it now?" he asked, still unsure of what he was seeing.

Hashirama knelt on his knee, now standing slightly shorter than Naruto. "Please do, I would like to be part of helping the village prosper once again."

Naruto, who was still leaning on Mizuki for support placed a hand on Hashirama's forehead, "Ha!" he yelled as he pulled the First's soul out of the small child's body.

The first's soul fell onto his feet, the other portion flying into Naruto's body via his mouth.

Naruto stood tall, feeling fully replenished. "I feel amazing." He said as he looked at his now slightly darker skin.

The soul of the First stood tall as well, "that feeling comes along with being a wood user. You can feel the life of every tree, plant and seed around you." He said.

"**Oi brat. Do you understand what this means? You have access to a fully mastered wood jutsu arsenal, you may only start with his most used three, but you can develop everything the first could do eventually.**" The Kyuubi said as it loomed over the human souls.

The first turned to the fox, "Ah, if it isn't Kurama. I haven't seen you since my duel with Madara, how is it that you were sealed in here?" he asked.

The fox huffed, "**The Fourth Hokage sealed me in his son to prevent me from attacking the village.**" The fox explained.

Hashirama nodded, "I assume he was an Uzumaki then, only their seals were powerful enough to work this well." He said.

While the two caught up, Naomi sat on the couch, Akamaru on her lap. "Those two talk like Old friends, I thought Kyu-chan was like, a thousand years old or something?" she asked Zabuza, who was sitting on the couch holding the bottle of infinite drinks.

Zabuza shrugged, "I dunno, I'm thinkin it's starting to get a bit crowded in here." Zabuza muttered.

Naruto sat down heavily, "You do realise I made a full house below us right? It's a freakin mansion with a pool, training grounds, kitchens random pieces of everything." Naruto muttered as he became see-through.

Mizuki chuckled, "And that's your cue to go Naruto." He said as he carried the body of the dead child to Naruto.

Naruto placed a hand on the corpse's stomach, it suddenly disappeared. "He's back to where he was before he became you now." Naruto murmured as he shakily stood to his feet again.

The First raised a brow, "How?" he asked.

Naruto looked at him and shrugged, "he just is, deal with it." he said.

Naruto turned and looked over all the beings in his mind, "This is honestly amazing. Thanks guys for sticking with me this whole time." He said with a smile as he began to fade back to his body.

The First Hokage nodded and spoke for the group, "Why wouldn't they? You fight for a noble purpose, a noble dream, an honourable cause. Thank you for making us part of your journey Naruto."

Naruto smiled as he finished fading, "I'm off guys, hehe with you all with me, no one can stop me from helping the village prosper,…

####################################################

…BELIEVE IT!" Naruto yelled as he sat up in his hospital bed, freaking the shit out of the nurse on duty.

"Oh my God!" she yelled as she jumped back.

Naruto turned and looked at her, "Oh, sorry about that." He mumbled sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head.

The nurse blinked, "Umm, I'll get someone to come check you Uzumaki-san, you weren't expected to be up for at least another three days. I guess I'll tell those visitors as well…" she said as she walked from the room.

Naruto smiled, "Hehe, I wonder how long I was out then.." he muttered as he looked out the window to see the sun rising.

A few minutes later, the door was slammed open and a doctor ran in, Kakashi and Jiraiya by his sides.

The doctor stared at Naruto in shock, "You're awake? How?" he asked.

Naruto took a bite out of his apple awkwardly, "how should I know? You're the doctor." He said.

Jiraiya patted the doctor's shoulder, "I got it, just sign him off so he can be out in a few hours 'kay?" he said.

The doctor spluttered, "b-b-but he shouldn't be moving yet! I can't just sign him off like that!"

Jiraiya turned a seriously look to him, "Yes. You can." He ordered.

The doctor sweated before taking Naruto's chart, "s-sure, I'll go do that now." He mumbled as he left.

Kakashi patted Naruto's head, "How you doing Naruto?" he asked worriedly.

Naruto smiled up at his sensei, "I'm great Ouji-sensei!" He said as he hugged Kakashi's arm.

Kakashi's eye widened, "Ouji?" he asked, 'he thinks of me as an Uncle?' Kakashi thought.

Naruto grinned up at Kakashi, his eyes closed "I meant what I said sensei" Naruto said.

Kakashi eye-smiled, "Well I guess that fits, team seven is a tight nit family." He said.

Jiraiya watched on with a smile, 'thank the log Naruto found family, if he was left alone while I was gone. I could never have forgiven myself.' He thought.

At that time Sakura and Sasuke ran in, "Otouto!" Nii-san!" the two yelled in excitement as they saw Naruto was awake.

Sakura leapt onto the bed next to Kakashi. "Naru-nii! You've been out for three days! Do you know how worried we were?" she asked as she hugged him.

Sasuke sat on the end of the bed, "Otouto, why were you down for so long, I thought the fox would've healed you up straight away?" he asked.

Naruto smiled, "I had to use a lot of his chakra in my last attack, so it would've taken a while for his chakra to make it's way through my system again. What about you guys? Did everything go as planned?" he asked.

Sakura sat back from her hug, now sitting in the middle of the bed "Me first!" she yelled before she dove into telling Naruto her story, "As I was guarding Temari's room…after I rested for a while a huge fire snake dug past the room I was keeping Temari in, so I pulled Temari into one of the wheelchairs and started following the tunnel back to the surface. With a broken arm and my shoulder still bleeding lightly, it was really hard. But luckily Anko was running past and she made a mud clone each to carry myself and Temari. I think I passed out as we were arriving at the hospital." Sakura finished explaining.

Naruto sat with his jaw on the floor, "You collapsed the stadium?!" he asked in shock.

Sakura smirked, "Yep, Hokage-sama said I'll get a reward for being one of the key players in ruining Orochimaru's plan." She said.

Naruto turned to Sasuke, "What about you Aniki?" he asked as he was still trying to imagine Sakura's story.

Sasuke smirked, "The Chunnin I fought went down easily. I even captured him and brought him back to the village. Gaara though, well that was another story altogether…" Sasuke told Naruto of everything that happened after he left. "…then Ero-sensei and I came back to the village and took Gaara to the safe room Hokage-sama had organised for us and fixed Gaara's seal. It was hard work but he's a much more normal person now." Sasuke said.

Naruto nodded along, "that is crazy! You got to take him down?! Awesome!" Naruto said with a smile.

Kakashi nudged Naruto's shoulder, "Don't sell yourself short Naruto, tell them about what you did upon your return to the village." Kakashi said.

Naruto smiled, "Well, I figured if I could destroy Orochimaru the problem would be gone and if not I was sure to get rid of one of his summons…" Naruto continued his tale. "After I absorbed the first I passed out. Now I'm waking up here." He said.

Sakura and Sasuke's jaws were on the floor, "Wha?" Sasuke mumbled as Sakura fainted.

Naruto chuckled, then Jiraiya clapped his large hands together gaining every conscious person's attention. "Alright, we'll step out for a moment while Naruto gets changed. We can get some light morning training in. Naruto, I want to see you use these wood jutsu. Sakura, I want to see this other secret up-grade you got from Dan. Sasuke, I will test you on your seal work, you did memorize Gaara's seal right?" he asked.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan, "Duh." He said.

Jiraiya turned, "You got two minutes Naruto, we'll meet you for breakfast at Ichiraku's. I'm sure they've missed you after your three days of being in a coma." He said as he walked out.

Kakashi stood and picked up the unconscious Sakura as Sasuke stood as well, "Just so you know Naruto, the flowers. They're from Hinata, she's coming over to our house tonight. You know, for dinner, right Naruto?" Sasuke asked as he tried to kick start Naruto's memory about who may like him.

Naruto just stared at the bouquet of partially opened blossoms with a smile, 'Hinata-chan…' he thought as he watched them sway in the breeze from the open window.

Sasuke sighed, 'and now he's daydreaming.' "Remember you got two minutes before we head over for breakfast. Better hurry Otouto." Sasuke said, partially being heard by Naruto.

Naruto just nodded as Sasuke walked out the door.

Naruto swung his legs off the side of his hospital bed, sitting in front of the flowers, "Wood style: Sudden Growth." Naruto mumbled as he lightly tapped the petals on the closest flower.

All the blossoms bloomed, becoming a beautiful array of red, orange, pink, brown and white. Naruto smiled and raised his arm.

The petals came off the flowers and followed his hand movements, Naruto pulled them towards him before spinning his arm twice.

The petals covered his left forearm taking the colourful form of an arm brace that swirled with the petals surrounding the snake summoning tattoo, covering everything else but a small circle just below his wrist.

Naruto looked at his arm closely as he raised it up in the air, his hidden bone blade slowly passing out through the circular hole.

Naruto turned his arm and noticed his last resort seal, which held a three of his giant shuriken on the ring sitting on his left pinkie finger.

He turned his arm again and smiled as the morning light glinted off of the metallic hole in his hand.

Naruto smiled as he looked at his fully improved arm, another breeze wafted through the window that Naruto sniffed at, he could smell his team waiting outside for him.

Naruto smiled lightly as he used his raised left hand and formed half a Ram seal, mist enveloped him.

The mist cleared to show an empty bed, all of Naruto's belongings that sat next to it were gone…

#################################################################

Kakashi stood from his stool, "Well guys, I think we should get to the training fields soon. Hokage-sama has a meeting for all Chunnin exam contestants from the Leaf village at midday, so that gives us just over four hours." He said as he pulled out some money and placed it on the counter.

Naruto jumped to his feet and so did Sakura after kissing Sasuke's cheek, "Race you there!" she said as she shot off in a blur, yet she didn't remove her weights OR use her skating technique.

Naruto smirked and hovered, "See you guys there!" he yelled before a he flew off after Sakura.

Jiraiya and Kakashi just poofed into smoke as Sasuke turned to Ayame, "Dinner is tonight, will you be able to make it?" he asked.

Ayame leant over the counter as Sasuke leant forward, they shared a small kiss that she smiled halfway through, making him lean back. "I wouldn't miss it for the world." She said quietly.

Teuchi pushed Sasuke's forehead with a spoon, "Alright that's enough you two. Aren't you needed somewhere else Sasuke?" Teuchi said with a frown.

Sasuke smirked, "You know that I love her Teuchi-san. You won't stop us from happening," Sasuke said jokingly as he disappeared in a poof of smoke.

Ayame blushed and smiled at her dad, "Stop messing around dad, you said that you already approved." She said as she moved to another customer.

Teuchi's frown turned into a smile as she looked away, 'At least I know he'll treat her right. I just wish he didn't have to marry another girl as well.' He thought with a sigh. "Oh well, it makes her happy so what can I do." He muttered as he grabbed another handful of veggies and threw them in a pot.

##################################################################

Naruto and Sakura stopped at their training grounds just seconds after Sasuke arrived in a puff of smoke. "Wow, you two really are quite fast." Sasuke said with a smirk.

Naruto panted at the chakra exertion, "Guess I'm nowhere close to one hundred percent yet." Naruto said as he landed, feeling the strain on his coils as he suddenly used chakra after three days without.

Sakura was panting as well, "I almost won that race without my skating ability!" she said as she tinkered with her weights, "I wonder if these got any heavier." She said as she flicked to one on her wrist.

Jiraiya's laughter bellowed, gaining the attention of the three gennin, "BAHAHAHA! You kids are amazing, barely out of a war and your already pumped up to go again!" he said.

The gennin of team seven looked at Jiraiya as if to say, 'bitch-is-you-crazy?'

Kakashi eye-smiled, "Alright then, Sakura, why don't you show us this secret upgrade of yours?" he asked.

Sakura smiled widely, "Okay!" she said as she reached into her ninja pouch.

She pulled out two red strips of metal and held them between the two bracelets closest to her wrists, they were pulled closer and clicked in place, one above her arm and one below. She did the same for her other claw as well.

Sakura smirked and activated her claws, which now had a small bulge wrapped around her wrists as if she had a thick rectangular shaped band underneath.

She leant back and punched towards a tree while yelling: "WHIP FIST!"

The bulge acted as an extender and Sakura's arm stretched all the way to the edge of the clearing and her claws grasped a lower branch. She pulled back and ripped the branch from it's tree.

Sakura's arm came back normally, now holding the small branch in front of her. "What do you think?" she asked as she turned back to the team.

"Did your arm actually stretch that whole way?!" Naruto yelled in excitement.

Sakura laughed, "No the weapon can't change my physical structure, it just appeared that way. In actual fact my hand stays right here, the claw extends around it." she said tapping the bulge.

Kakashi nodded, "Your go Naruto, show us some of your new jutsu." He said.

Sakura skipped back towards Sasuke, high-fiving Naruto as they passed each other.

Naruto smiled as he closed his eyes, feeling the life around him. "Wood Style: Sudden Growth." He spoke quietly as he let his chakra reach out towards the trees in front of him.

Naruto felt as his chakra wrapped around a few trees and slowly seeped in, they began to grow much larger than any trees should be able to, more than doubling the height of the village wall, just reaching higher than the Hokage monument.

Naruto opened his eyes and watched his creation in awe, "So this is why Hashirama-sama was so powerful, with such a small amount of chakra, I created so much life." He mumbled as the trees finished growing, now as thick as a house.

He turned back to look at his team who were staring in awe, "What do you think sensei?" Naruto asked calmly.

Jiraiya and Kakashi looked at the huge trees in awe, "This is incredible…" Kakashi mumbled.

Naruto focussed on his instincts and felt hand signs coming to mind, he formed three and focussed. "Wood Style: Wood Clone." He spoke.

From the closest tree, a figure stepped out of the wood, slowly gaining colour and life as it began to look like Naruto. "Hey boss." The clone said with a smile as it walked over to Naruto.

Naruto watched the wood clone as it walked towards him, he could feel the life of the tree running through it. "Your much more…real, than my water clones." He said to the clone.

It smiled, "That's because I am, I have the sturdiness of an earth clone mixed with the soul of a tree and melded with your own chakra. I can gain experience and when I dispel, I retain it. I also give new life when I dispel." It said happily.

Naruto nodded, "Do it then." He ordered.

The clone breathed out and suddenly, it was wood in the shape of a person. Naruto tapped the wood and it fell over, when it landed, flowers began to grow from it in moments, covering up proof of it's existence with a beautiful flowerbed.

Naruto's eyes widened as he suddenly had memories of stepping out of a tree and walking towards himself, "I remember what it did as if I had done it myself." He said, shocked.

Jiraiya nudged Kakashi, "The same as with the shadow clones, but these will survive much more than one hit." He whispered, trying not to break Naruto's concentration.

Naruto felt a surge of power, and ran towards the closest tree as he channelled the Shodaime's power, but not of wood chakra. "Adamantine power!" Naruto yelled as he threw a punch at the tree.

The absolutely gigantic tree shook as Naruto punched the tree loose of it's roots, it even rose in the air before it began to fall.

Kakashi's eyes widened, "It's going to fall on the village!" He yelled in panic.

Jiraiya patted Sasuke's shoulder, "Your turn Sasuke!" he yelled.

Sasuke nodded and quickly began drawing a seal on the ground with his chakra, just as he had been taught by Jiraiya for sealing Gaara properly.

He was done in ten seconds, the tree was on its way down quickly now.

Sasuke slammed his hand onto the edge of his seal, "SEALING ART: CHAKR CONSTRUCT SEALING METHOD!" he yelled.

The seal constructed a temporary image of what Sasuke had in mind. A line of chakra attached to the tree and pulled it back on top of it's base with some effort.

The tree connected and Naruto placed a hand on it, he once again followed his instincts. "Heal." He said as he gave the tree some of his chakra.

The tree re-attached itself to it's base, seemingly as if there was never a split in the first place.

Sasuke fell down panting, as Jiraiya chuckled. "That is the sealing power of an expert sealer." He said with a smile.

Sasuke smirked, "Almost, I didn't have time to work in an antigravity seal for the tree, so the tree weighed a lot more than it should have." He said.

Jiraiya patted the tired gennin's head, "And once you can do that, mix advanced sealing arrays, that is what makes a person a Master sealer. Heck you already write faster than me." Jiraiya said.

Naruto jogged over to Sasuke, "Sorry Aniki, I got caught up in the moment. Are you ok?" he asked.

Sasuke nodded, "Yeah, that cost about two-thirds of my chakra though." He replied.

Kakashi raised a brow, "Really? That means you have at least Jonin level chakra capacity." he said in shock.

It was at this moment an Anbu agent turned up, "Hokage-sama would like to see the gennin of team seven and Jiraiya. Kakashi, you are needed at the Anbu Facilities." He said without leaving his crouch.

Kakashi sighed, "Alright then."

Sakura raised a brow in confusion, "What's going on sensei?" she asked.

Kakashi turned to team seven and sat down, "I noticed the lack of…refinement, our anbu has at the moment. So I volunteered to help train them again since I was their captain once upon a time."

Naruto smiled, "Cool!" he cheered.

Sasuke noticed the sad inflection in Kakashi's voice and put two and two together. "What does that mean for the team sensei?" he asked.

Kakashi sighed, "Unfortunately, for the next month I cannot be the team leader. The Hokage will be assigning you a new one." he said.

The gennin all looked at Kakashi sadly, "But you have to go, don't you sensei.." Naruto asked sadly.

Kakashi nodded, "Our individual happiness is not as important as the village's safety. I'm sorry guys." He said.

Sakura nodded sadly, "I guess we'll see you in a month sensei." She said.

Kakashi nodded and turned to leave when Sasuke spoke up, "Y'know sensei, even though Kin has moved into our house, there is still a spare bedroom." He said.

Kakashi turned with a wide eye, "You want me to move in with you?" he asked, shocked at the offer.

Naruto and Sakura grinned, "Yeah! That way we can at least have breakfast together while we're in the village!" Naruto yelled.

Sakura added, "It's a perfect idea!"

Kakashi chuckled before turning back to them with an eye-smile, "Alright then, I'll be finished the daily training at around three in the afternoon, I'll bring my things over then." He said before waving. "Ciao." He said before poofing away.

Sasuke sighed before sending chakra to the permanent seals he now has on a piece of paper between the stitching in his shoes. "Activate!" he said, he now floated a foot off of the ground.

Naruto smiled as he once again lifted into the air, grasping the end of Sasuke's chain in his left hand.

Sakura activated her skating technique, causing her to hover slightly off the ground, she then threw her whip fist forward, Naruto caught the other end in his right.

"To the Hokage's office!" he yelled as he flew forward, his teammates being towed along behind him.

The three laughed as they flew through the village on the way to the Hokage's tower.

Jiraiya watched on with a smile, "They'll be something special, that's for sure." He said before using a shunshin to poof to the Hokage's office.

####################################################################

Jiraiya appeared in a poof of smoke in the Hokage's office. "How you doing Sarutobi-sensei?" Jiraiya asked.

The third Hokage looked up from his paperwork with a smile, "Hello Jiraiya, I'm good for someone who is lacking a footless. Are the children on their way? I thought they were with you?" he said with a smile.

Jiraiya looked out the window behind his sensei and smiled, "There's your answer." He said.

Hiruzen spun in his wheel chair and looked out the window to see Naruto fly up past his window pulling what appeared to be two chains.

From the end of the two 'chains' Sasuke and Sakura appeared, they flipped on to the ledge outside the window as Sakura's claw retracted to her arm and Sasuke let go of the chain, the two walked towards the third's window as Naruto landed in front of the two, passing Sasuke his chain in the process.

Naruto stuck his head in the open window, "Hey jiji, you wanted to see us?" he said with a smile as he hopped through the window.

The aged Kage smiled, "Yes, has Kakashi told you about his duties over the next two months?" the trio nodded, "Good, in light of this situation I decided that Jiraiya will be the one to look after you all since he probably wouldn't leave anyways. I have a mission for all of you that will begin tomorrow morning." The Hokage said as he rolled his wheel chair around his table.

Naruto's eyes widened, "Jiji, what happened to your leg?" he asked as he looked at the bandage wrapped stump.

Hiruzen smiled sadly, "I wasn't fast enough at one point against Orochimaru and paid the price for that. I'm just happy it was my foot and not my head." He said.

Naruto sat in stunned silence as Jiraiya took over the conversation, "I'm guessing this has got something to do with the next Hokage?" he said seriously.

All three gennin looked at Jiraiya in confusion, Hiruzen chuckled, "As quick as ever aren't you Jiraiya. Yes, I need you three to find my replacement. She may not be very happy with the idea, but I have a feeling she will take it when she gets to know you three." He said with a true smile.

Sasuke frowned, "Who could replace you from outside the village? Wouldn't Ero-sensei be the best choice?" he asked.

Sarutobi chuckled at Jiraiya's nickname, "She is equally qualified, trust me."

Jiraiya sighed heavily, "I was kinda hoping you'd choose some other than her." He muttered as Sakura's eyes widened in realisation.

"Tsunade?! We're going to find Tsunade?" she yelled excitedly.

Sarutobi nodded, "You will be. Unfortunately, we have no idea of her whereabouts and you have a one month deadline. Jiraiya will give you a good start but I think the main factor in this will be Sasuke's tracking skills and Naruto's nose." The old man said.

Naruto snapped out of his silence, "But Jiji, what are you gonna do?" Naruto asked.

Hiruzen chuckled, "I think I may teach at the academy, I will even run classes for those who already are ninja and need some help or advice." He said with a smile.

Naruto looked down sadly, "The new Kage, ok! We'll bring her back Jiji! Then you can have a nice long retirement!" Naruto said with a sparkling grin as he looked back up.

The Hokage laughed at the proclamation, "Well I certainly hope so! Now remember you three, I have some announcements concerning the Chunnin exams in a few minutes, the meeting area is on the roof of this tower so please head up there as soon as you can." He said as he rolled himself to the office door.

"Hai Hokage-sama/jiji/sensei!"

*Whoosh*

The Hokage looked over his shoulder to see his curtains fluttering and leaves falling to the ground, 'hmhmhm, I'm so glad I survived this war.' He thought as he opened the door and was attended to by his civilian assistant.

###################################################

"Welcome everyone, firstly, I'd like to congratulate you all on surviving the exams and the invasion." Sarutobi said as he looked over all the people from the Leaf that had competed in the exams.

Sarutobi smiled, "For my first announcement, I will be informing everyone of who has passed the Chunnin exams completely!" he was responded to with a small cheer.

Sarutobi was handed a vest by his attendant, "The first person who was chosen to be a Chunnin was an unlikely choice, he showed heart, courage, strength of body and mind, but most importantly, he showed that the will of fire is strong no matter what disables your progress. May I congratulate, Chunnin: Rock Lee!"

Lee stood in stunned silence as everyone around him cheered, 'me?' he thought moments before being patted on the back by his sensei.

Lee looked up to see tears in Gai's eyes, "Go Lee, you've shown how magnificent your flames of youth are. You've earned this." He said as he gave Lee a thumbs up.

Lee smiled widely and jogged up to the Hokage and bowed so far he folded in half, "Thank you Hokage-sama!" Lee said before he raised up to stand straight again.

The aged Kage smiled, "I should be thanking you, I haven't seen that much youth in a much in a long time." He said with a chuckle as he handed Lee his new Chunnin vest.

Lee's eyes teared up and he smiled widely as he put on his new vest, "I HAVE DONE IT! I CAN BE A TRULY SPLENDID NINJA USING ONLY TAIJUTSU! GAI-SENSEI!"

Gai leapt up to the podium and tackled his student in a hug, "LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

Gai suddenly stopped the hug and punched Lee in the face, flinging him back into the crowd, "DON'T YOU REMEMBER LEE?! IT IS UNYOUTHFUL TO INTERRUPT IMPORTANT EVENTS!" Gai yelled as he jumped into the crowd, landing next to his student.

Lee jumped to his feet and held a hand over his mouth whispering, "I am sorry Gai-sensei! As punishment I will do one-thousand laps in the Konoha Lake with a boulder on my back! And if I can't do that I'll…"

Lee and Gai continued in whispers and the Hokage spoke up again, "the second person to win the title of Chunnin was equally unexpected being as he is a rookie, he showed how to read and manipulate his opponent, he showed a brilliant tactical mind, but most importantly, he knew his limits. If a ninja is over confident they will soon perish on the battlefield. So I'm glad to congratulate, Chunnin: Shikamaru Naara!" he said.

Shika slinked up to the podium with a frown on his face, "Does this mean I have to do even more missions?" he asked.

Hiruzen chuckled, "Not only that, but you will be leading the missions or be part of a squad on higher ranking missions." He said with a smile.

Shikamaru put on the Chunnin vest and turned around to meet the cheers of the small crowd, "Troublesome.." he muttered as he walked back to his place between his sensei and his father.

The Hokage raised a hand, asking for silence. "I want to say the last three candidates as one, because as ninja, they are one, as family they are one, as siblings, comrades, as a team. Individually, they played vital roles in not only saving my life, but the life of the village. So I congratulate, new Chunnins: Sakura Haruno! Who saved the lives of myself and the Tsuchikage by destroying Orochimaru's barrier seal and getting us the help we need. Sasuke Uchiha! Who played a major role in defeating the enemy's secret weapon, the Shukaku! And Naruto Uzumaki! Who defeated Orochimaru's strongest forbidden summoning, the First Hokage himself!"

The old man's speech was met with applause of the entire crowd as team seven all jumped up to the podium, the Hokage held out three vests to the team.

Team seven bowed before the Hokage and turned to face the crowd as one, they bowed again and the cheering increased.

The Hokage raised a hand, asking for silence again as he waved Team Seven to stand by his side next to Jiraiya. "Now the last of my news, as you all know I am the Third Hokage, I had to come out of retirement when my replacement sacrificed himself for the village. In short, I am old, worn and tired. In light of this I have done the one thing I can do to fix this problem of Konoha having a weakened leader. I have chosen the fifth Hokage!" he announced to the stunned silent crowd.

The Hokage gestured to Jiraiya and team seven, "My student and the new Chunnin squad 7 will be going on a mission to track her down, the first female Hokage, granddaughter of the First, legendary medic and one of the Three Sannin, Tsunade Senju!" he announced grandly.

The crowd burst into cheers, "Thank you all for coming, please go back to your business now." The third said as his assistant grasped the handlebars of his wheelchair and wheeled him back to his office.

###################################################################

"IN THE NAME OF THE HOLY LOG! I SWEAR THIS IS THE GREATEST THING TO EVER HAPPEN EVERRRR!" Naruto cheered as team seven, all wearing their new Chunnin vests, walking into their home.

Sasuke chuckled, "Is it really that surprising? Sakura-chan and I were the top of our class and you…well you've improved a lot." Sasuke said with a smirk.

The payout in Sasuke's words went in one ear and out the other with Naruto, "I KNOW RIGHT?!" he yelled in Sasuke's face in excitement.

Naruto turned away and ran upstairs as Sasuke stood with his eyes closed, Sakura walked passed him, "You good Sasuke-kun?" she asked.

Sasuke wiped Naruto's excess spit off of his face, "Yeah, just wish I saw that one coming." He said as he went to the downstairs bathroom to wash his face.

Sakura giggled at the way 'her boys' were acting, until she remembered all the things they had to do today. "Oh! Naru-nii! Sasuke-kun! Come here quick!" she yelled.

The two were instantly next to her in battle ready positions Naruto standing on the ceiling and Sasuke back-to-back with him, "What's wrong!/Where's the threat?" they both yelled.

Sakura sighed, "No guys, I just remembered what we have to do today." She explained.

The both raised a brow and dropped to the floor in unison, "What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

Sakura reached into her pouch and pulled out a small list, "Firstly, we have to clean out the master bedroom of all of your weapons, scrolls and other stuff Sasuke-kun. Cause that's where Kakashi will be staying isn't it?" she asked.

Sasuke nodded with a sigh, "Yeah I guess you're right. I can do that myself if someone lends me some clones?" he said with a questioning inclination towards the end of his sentence.

Naruto smiled as he formed three hand signs, "Sure thing! Wood Clone Jutsu!" he said excitedly.

From the wood of the floor boards, four clones rose from the ground and stood behind the trio, Sasuke smirked, "Alright wood-Narutos, follow me and listen to what I say." He ordered.

The clones nodded, "Yeah we get it/ You're in charge/ Let's get going/ Okay!" the four yelled as they followed Sasuke upstairs.

Sakura crossed that item off the list, "Next, I need shopping done for the dinner tonight." She said as she smiled at Naruto.

He sighed, "Alright, what do I need to get?" he asked.

She handed him a list and clapped her hands, "I'll need those here before four pm so I can finish dinner in time so get moving!" she said with a smile.

Naruto looked at the long list and sighed again, "Dammit." He mumbled as he hovered out the door.

Sakura smiled and ran up to her room, she reached under her bed and pulled out one of her bags of money. She ran to Kin's door and knocked.

Kin opened the door with a smile, "Hey Sakura-chan, what's up?" she asked.

Sakura bounced excitedly, "Wanna come shopping with me for new outfits for the team?" she said.

Kin's eyes sparkled, "Hell yeah!" she said as she stepped out and closed her door, the two then ran downstairs and out the door, excited to have some quality 'girl time'.

#################################################################

Naruto had been looking at the store in front of him for the last twenty minutes, glancing down at the list then back up at the sign reading 'Nin-Mart.'

He took a deep breath, 'geez I can charge a Kage no problem, but walking into a shop…' his thought trailed off as he frowned and looked at the list again. 'Nee-chan specifically asked for it to be purchased from here, so I guess I have no choice.' He thought as he took a shaky step towards the electronic doors.

Naruto stepped on the welcome mat and the door opened, he took five steps into the store.

"Oi! You!"

Naruto sighed, 'thought so, as if they'd let in the demon brat now when they wouldn't earlier.' He thought as he turned to the man, expecting to be yelled at.

To his surprise, the guy had a smile on his face and was waving him over. So Naruto walked over.

"Your Naruto right? I had a stall at the finals, damn your battle was amazing!" the guy said as he shook Naruto's hand.

Naruto stared at the man, 'huh? He knows who I am so why is he asking? He always kicked me out of here when I was younger.' Naruto scowled as he thought.

The guy saw Naruto's look and shrugged apologetically saying, "I guess you're confused huh?" Naruto nodded, "Well let me just, apologise for the way I acted in the past. It was wrong of me to do it but if I didn't the boss would've fired me and people would stop coming to shop here if you came here too. Get what I mean?" the guy said hopefully.

Naruto twitched before putting on his old mask, fake smile and all. 'YOU THINK JUST CAUSE YOU APOLOGISE ALL IS GOOD MUTHA FUCKA!? I WAS ALMOST KILLED!' he thought as he tried not to kill the moron.

Naruto took a deep breath to calm down, "Yeah I get it, so why is it alright now?" he asked.

The guy smiled, "Cause, you're a Chunnin, its good for business to have ninjas in the Nin-Mart. Get it?" he explained.

Naruto nodded, still holding his fake smile "Yeah sounds great!" he said before waving his list as he thought, 'seriously?! I almost was beaten to death here and then thrown out on multiple occasions and he thinks I'll just forgive him?!' Naruto thought as he clenched his fist.

The guy noticed the list, "Hey, we have workers that pick up things for you if you wanna let me hold onto that list. That way you can go to the ninja only section and look at the jutsu scrolls and Nin-fo books." He said with a smile.

Naruto raised a brow, "Nin-fo? As in ninja information?" Naruto asked.

The guy nodded, "Yeah, we got every jutsu below B-rank from Konoha for sale here, except for special jutsus like the Naara clans and Yamanakas. But we're lucky enough to have chakra nature bloodline jutsus as well cause no one can do them unless they actually have the bloodline." The guy explained using his well rehearsed sales pitch.

Naruto's eyes widened, "Even Wood Style Jutsu?" Naruto asked hopefully.

The guy smiled, "Yes we have all the lower level wood style jutsu used by the first. Although like I said, you can't use them unless you have the Mokuton Bloodline." He said with a smile.

Naruto gave his list to the guy, just now seeing his name tag. "Thanks Zeke, I'll go look at those while you get this order filled for me yeah?" he said as he began to walk away.

The Zeke yelped, "Oh! Excuse me Naruto but I need to hold onto your identification card so we know whose order goes with what and all that." He said as he took the few steps to stand in front of Naruto.

Naruto nodded and gave Zeke his card and continued walking, "How long will it take?" Naruto asked.

Zeke looked at the list, "Umm thirty minutes?" he answered.

Naruto smiled, "I'll be back in thirty then." He said as he walked over to the sign that said 'Konoha Ninja, Chunnin or above only'.

#########################################################

Sasuke looked around, as the four Naruto's placed the last of his family's jutsu scrolls into a box. "Good work guys, grab a box and follow me." He said as he picked up a box himself.

The clones did as instructed and followed Sasuke down stairs. Sasuke took a right and walked through the lounge room, and to a door on the other side, he placed his box down.

Sasuke grabbed the door handle and tried to turn it, it was stuck. Sasuke frowned, "Geez, it's like no one has been down here in years." Sasuke muttered.

Clone 1 raised a brow, "Have you been in the basement Sasuke?" it asked.

Sasuke shook his head in a negative then got annoyed and kicked the door open, it fell off it's hinges.

Clone 2 snickered, "That means that no one HAS been down here since you moved in, Duh." It said snidely.

Sasuke flicked on the lights and stepped aside, "You know, for a clone you certainly have an attitude problem." He said as he waved the clones through.

They walked down the stairs to see a wide room, it's length the size of the house. "Woah, this would make a great training arena," Clone 1 said.

Sasuke followed after the clones and looked around the dust-filled room, his eyes settled on three large rectangular crates in the corner. "Hn." He grunted with a frown as he tried to think of what may be in them.

Clone 4 turned to him, "So where are we putting these?" it asked.

Sasuke nodded towards the crates, "I want the scrolls placed to the left of the crates, just put them down and go grab the next box, I'll put them in the right places." Sasuke said.

The clones nodded and followed his order; placing the boxes down they left the basement quickly.

Sasuke placed his box on top of another and pushed them into the corner to the left of the crates. Sasuke glanced at them again, 'I better wait til another time. Knowing my luck it will be something that leads to something else that makes me really busy and it would be too troublesome.' He thought as he sat on one of the crates.

He blinked as he re-thought what he just thought, "Oh damn, now I sound like Shikamaru." He said as the clones started to come back down into the basement with another four boxes.

###################################################

"You ALL made Chunnin?! That's so great!" Kin said with a smile as she spoke to Sakura through the change room door.

"Yeah I know!" Sakura yelled from behind the door as some shuffling was heard. She opened the door and walked out, "What do you think of this?" she asked as she slowly twirled.

Kin appraised Sakura's clothes: She wore black ninja sandals and black tights that stuck to her legs, over them she wore a skirt that was a crimson-red colour. Her torso was covered by a basic ninja mesh t-shirt that she wore a loose low-cut black half length singlet over. The singlet had a pink stripe down from her left shoulder to belly where the shirt stopped and on the back was the red whirlpool swirl, indicating she was a Chunnin. Her golden bands with were in their normal positions over her clothes. She finished the look with her Chunnin edition, Red Headband wrapped over her locks to hold them out of her face.

Sakura finished her twirl with a pose. "Well?" she asked.

Kin smiled, "Amazing, but are they efficient as well?" she asked with a curious smile.

Sakura raised her arms and her slaws appeared, they weren't hindered by the clothes and their materialisation didn't damage anything, "They're good!" Sakura said with a smile.

Kin grinned, "I think you should keep those for sure then! Do want to pick Naruto's new outfit? I can get Sasuke's." she said.

Sakura nodded, "Sounds great! But we have to make sure we agree on it all." She said as she walked back into the change-room to get back into her normal gear.

Kin smiled, 'This is more fun than I ever had in the sound village.' She thought happily.

###########################################################

Naruto walked up to the counter of Nin-Mart, eight scrolls in his arms. He put on a fake smile as he approached Zeke. "Hello, I'm ready to pay for my order now." Naruto said.

Zeke turned to him and nodded, "Sure thing, and those scrolls?" he asked.

Naruto smiled and nodded, 'Why else would I have brought them to the counter you douche!' he thought as he tried to hold his fake smile.

Zeke smiled and racked up the price, Naruto paid for the whole thing and then realised there was much more then he could carry.

Naruto smirked, 'Payback time!' he thought as he made a hand sign.

Six water clones walked down from an aisle and helped Naruto picked up the bags as they walked out the door.

Naruto smiled politely, "Thanks for the help Zeke, hope you have a good day." Naruto said with a hidden snicker as he walked out the door.

Zeke frowned slightly as Naruto walked out the door, 'I don't think he really forgave us for the way we treated him…oh well, no skin off my back.' He thought with a shrug.

The PA system turned on, "Zeke, your latest customer spilled some liquid in isle two. Please clean it up." It turned off.

Zeke sighed as he walked to aisle two, 'Bummer, if I'd known earlier I'd have charged him for the… "What the hell?" he asked as he turned down the aisle.

It looked like the water bottles that made up the bottom row of each pyramid of water bottles had exploded, breaking all the bottles and spilling water onto the floor, it covered the whole aisle.

Zeke blinked twice as he stared, seeing the water ruining all the labels on all the shelves and stock.

###############################

Naruto chuckled as he heard a yell of frustration, "Serves you right." He mumbled as he leapt onto a nearby roof, his clones following him.

Naruto turned to his clones and passed one of them the bag he was holding, "Take those home and then use your self to water the plants on the kitchen and my bedroom windowsill." He ordered with a smile.

The water clones nodded, "SIR YES SIR!" they yelled in unison before running off.

Naruto smirked, 'And now I have about two hours to burn until I'm needed back at home. Sweet!' he thought as he hovered down to the ground and floated down the street.

Naruto landed softly at the door of the Hokage Tower, he walked in and flew up the gap in the center of the spiralling staircase.

Many ninja and civilians looked out in shock as Naruto slowly rose past them, they mumbled in both awe and in happiness at the display.

Naruto saw someone he recognised so he slowed til he was floating next to them. "Hey Shino! What 'cha up to?" he asked.

Shino turned to Naruto and saw him flying, if he was shocked or surprised in any way he certainly didn't show it. "Good afternoon Naruto, I am going to ask the Hokage if I may do some research on the sporadic tree growth some trees experienced this morning near our village's training fields. I find it logical that such a growth could affect the many insects in the area and possibly give them a hand in evolving to a larger form." He said as he continued walking up the stairs.

Naruto smiled, "That's pretty close to what I'm here for as well!" Naruto said with a smile.

Shino raised a brow at this and held an arm towards Naruto, "Then let us hurry, we do not want to be late for your team's dinner tonight." Shino said.

Naruto smiled and clasped Shino's forearm in a monkey grip, he lifted Shino into the air and then boosted his flight speed, appearing at the top of the staircase in seconds.

Shino was placed quickly, outwardly he didn't seem fazed in the slightest. But he was relying solely on the senses of his bugs as he was having a serious hit of vertigo. "That was…fast." Shino muttered as the two walked down the short hallway towards the Hokage's office.

Naruto chuckled, still hovering next to Shino. Shino noticed this and asked, "Why is it that you are wasting your chakra on your wind flight ability when you could simply walk?" he asked, not seeing a logical reason behind Naruto's actions.

Naruto smiled as he knocked on the office door, "Do you know how hard it is to control the perfect amount of wind chakra needed to hover as the same height over different surfaces? Or when an actual breeze picks up I need to send more chakra. This is my training in chakra control as well as balance." Naruto explained.

Shino nodded as the door was opened from the inside by the Hokage's attendant, "How may I help you?" she said.

Shino politely bowed, "Naruto and I would like to request something of the Hokage." He said quickly.

The attendant nodded, "Make it fast, Hokage-sama is finishing up on the paperwork needed concerning the invasion." She said as she opened the door fully.

The two gennin walked in as she walked out. They bowed to the Hokage before taking a seat, or in Naruto's case, crouching in the air above the cushion. "Hey Jiji, I was wondering if I could increase the growth of all the trees around the village, that way we really would be 'Hidden in the Leaves'." Naruto said with a smirk.

Shino sat straight as he heard Naruto's words, "You didn't tell me you were the cause of this growth Naruto-kun." The third said as he looked up from his paperwork with a small smile.

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, just practicing some skills. Shino wanted to observe my work and check the way the insects are affected by the change. So can we? PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAASE?" Naruto finished with his puppy dog eyes.

Sarutobi chuckled, "Only if you answer me one thing Naruto. I confess I saw your little trick in the hospital room, I ask that you no longer where those sleeves and that you show your many different abilities with pride." He said with a soft smile.

Naruto pondered for a moment before nodding, "Sure thing." He said as he pulled off his forearm sleeves, revealing to Shino his fully equipped arm.

Shino's eyes widened behind his glasses, "What is that Naruto?" he asked.

Naruto smiled, "Just a full accumulation of all my…acquired abilities." Naruto said with a smile.

Shino slowly nodded, "I do not understand, but you need not explain, it is good for a ninja to have their secrets." Shino said.

Naruto chuckled as Shino turned to the Hokage, "Hokage-sama, may we please conduct this research and…enhancement of the trees?" Shino asked.

The Hokage smiled, "Sure thing Shino. Have fun you two, but Naruto-kun, make sure you leave a fifty meter gap between the wall and your enhanced trees, this way we can still see those who approach the walls instead of them leaping over them." He said.

Naruto nodded as he hovered over the floor, now 'standing' straight. "Sure thing, let's go Shino!" Naruto said as he held his hand out.

Shino hesitated, "I would prefer to walk Naruto, the vertigo from your earlier stunt has yet to fully wear off." Shino said.

Naruto blinked before smiling, "Oh, why didn't ya say so? Aniki found a way to beat that." Naruto said as he reached into his pouch.

Shino looked at the tag he held in confusion, "And this is?" he asked.

Naruto just smiled, "Channel some chakra into the small seal on the end, it will do the rest automatically." Naruto said.

The Hokage's eyebrows raised, "He's managed to work in an automated activation seal?" he asked.

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, I don't really get it but I know that it works!" Naruto said.

Shino channelled his chakra and suddenly felt…lighter.

Naruto smiled, "Now there is gravity! Therefore, no vertigo!" Naruto said as he grabbed Shino's weightless arm and jumped out the open window yelling, "Cya later Jiji!"

Shino frowned as he realised he literally weighed as much as one of his insects, "This is…unsettling." He said as Naruto held Shino's forearms in a monkey grip, pulling him along as they flew towards the village walls.

Naruto chuckled, "You'll get used to it!" he yelled as the two sped up.

##############################################################

"That's the last of em!" Clone 1 said as two and three placed down a box each.

Sasuke nodded, "Alright, now we just gotta clean Kakashi's room." Sasuke said.

The clones frowned, "Oh man, this sucks." Number 3 groaned.

Sasuke chuckled, "Don't care. Naruto told you to help so you will. Am I understood?" he asked as he activated his Sharingan, hypnotising clone Numero Uno.

The clone nodded, "Alright Aniki, let's go!" it said as it grabbed the arms of clones 2 and 3, and ran up to the bedroom again. Sasuke smirked as the three ran off, before noticing something odd about the crates. He only noticed because of his Sharingan.

Number four was about to follow when Sasuke grabbed it's shoulder, "I need you to do something for me. Just listen and then go disperse yourself in one of the dead flower patches out the back. Ok?" he asked.

The clone raised a brow before nodding, Sasuke nodded seriously and began talking. "As you know, no one has been down in this basement for years. But these crates, notice anything odd about them?"

The clone looked at the crates with scrutiny, "The one on the right, it's not covered in dust like the other two." It said as it furrowed it's brow in confusion.

Sasuke nodded, "Not only that, by looking at it with my Sharingan, I noticed a chakra signature lingering. It's still there, which means someone sat there for a long time and continuously used a jutsu." Sasuke said.

The clone nodded seriously, "Just how long we talking about here? Do you think someone sat there as the clan was massacred?" it asked.

Sasuke shook his head, "No, if anything it looks like the crate is actually an entrance to something. The chakra would've faded after two days, my theory is that on the other side of that crate is an entrance or exit to somewhere. And someone was using it for something." Sasuke said.

The clone nodded, "I think you should seal the basement door closed and mention this to Jiraiya on the mission tomorrow. If whatever it is hasn't acted out yet it probably won't in the next month. If anything they could've just been watching." The clone said as the two walked up into the lounge room, Sasuke closing the door to the basement behind him.

Sasuke nodded and grunted an affirmative, "Good idea. Go dispel now, I want Naruto to know about this in case he thinks of anything it might be." He said as he began to write a seal with his chakra on the door.

The clone nodded and ran out the back door to dispel. Sasuke finished writing a seal when he noticed two cream coloured rats running under the door and into the basement, 'Hn. I wonder if that's important.' Sasuke thought as he activated the seal, cutting off the chance of the door knob turning from the other side.

Sasuke sighed, "This is weird." He mumbled before hearing a thump from upstairs.

"Ow!" he heard one of the clones yell before another fight broke out.

Sasuke sighed again and walked up the stairs, on his way to break up another fight, 'Geez, maybe I should learn a clone jutsu so I don't have to put up with this.' He thought as he walked to the room.

Unseen by Sasuke, the rats in the basement ran towards the crate before melding together, slowly taking the form of a small robin. It flew out the small basement window, with the sunlight hitting it, it looked to be made of ink and paper…

#############################################################

Hinata sat in her wheelchair, watching everyone run by as she was pushed slowly through the village by Kurenai. "Sensei, when does the dinner start? I want to see Naruto-kun again." She asked with a small smile at the thought.

Kurenai grinned, "We still have two hours Hinata-chan, how about we go pick up my date and inform a…friend of mine." She said chuckling lightly.

Hinata turned and looked up at her sensei, "You're bringing a date?" she asked in shock.

Kurenai blushed and smiled, "Yes I am, is that really so shocking?" she asked.

Hinata shook her head, "It's not shocking that you have a date Sensei, but do you think Naruto-kun would approve?" she asked.

Kurenai shrugged, "He told me to bring whoever I want, so I figured someone who may become my boyfriend in the future might be a good idea." She said.

Hinata turned forward again and nodded, "Let's go meet him then!" she said enthusiastically as she clapped.

Kurenai smiled softly and turned the wheel chair so that they were heading towards the training grounds, 'although she stopped stuttering because she was so depressed, she seems happy now and it hasn't come back! This is good news!... I hope I didn't jinx it with that thought.' Kurenai thought as she pondered the possibility.

Hinata was smiling, 'I can't wait to catch up Naruto-kun, I haven't talked to you since your last visit to the Hyuuga compound.' She thought as she remembered Naruto turning up at six pm everyday during his month of training to talk to her and Hiashi, hearing stories of his father and Hiashi's missions.

####################################################

Chapter end.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty: Dinner Time! Feelings come to Life.

*Knock Knock*

"Sensei can you get the door?" Sakura yelled from the kitchen.

Kakashi stood up from the couch and put his book away, he was dressed normally except for the lack of Jonin vest and his tilted headband, revealing his closed left eye, "Sure thing Sakura-chan." He said with a yawn.

Kakashi opened the door and eye smiled at the company of Hinata, Kurenai and Asuma. "Hello you three, welcome to the house of Squad Seven." He said as he stepped aside, "Please come to the lounge room, Sasuke, Naruto and Shino are already waiting there, Ayame and Kin are in the kitchen helping Sakura prepare the feast." He said as he closed the door behind Kurenai since Asuma had wheeled Hinata in first.

Asuma whistled as he and Hinata entered the lounge room, "Nice place you guys got here." He said in appreciation as he stopped Hinata's chair next to the couch.

Naruto was hovering in a crouch between the couch Sasuke sat on and the recliner Shino sat in when he saw Hinata. "Hinata-chan!" he yelled exuberantly as he floated to Hinata's side and grasped her hand.

Hinata blushed, "Hello Naruto-kun, thank you for inviting us over tonight." She said softly.

Naruto smiled, "No prob! I'm glad you came." Naruto said with a smile as he crouched in mid air next to her.

Asuma sat next to Sasuke on the couch as Kurenai turned away, "Kakashi, where is the kitchen? I'd like to help the girls if I can." She asked.

Kakashi pointed at the doorway to the left of the hallway they entered from, "It's through there, that's also the dining room as well." Kakashi said.

She nodded with a smile, "thanks, oh by the way, Anko said she'll be here soon." Kurenai whispered the second part of her sentence so that only Kakashi will hear.

He sighed, "I guess she won't let me go again, hmm maybe I shouldn't have accepted her…offer the other night." Kakashi said as he thought of the night he 'spent' with Anko.

Kurenai chuckled as she walked past him, "I know you've admitted it to Asuma already, why don't you just tell her you love her too?" she asked.

Kakashi waited til she left the room before he sighed, "Because everyone I've loved in the past has been taken away." He muttered under his breath.

Unfortunately for him, Naruto now had the listening receptors of a ninja hound. 'Wow, Kakashi-Ouji and Anko-sensei? Didn't see that one coming.' He thought as he paused in his talking.

Hinata noticed Naruto's sudden pause, "Are you okay Naruto-kun?" she asked as she squeezed his hand.

Naruto turned to her and smiled, "Yeah I'm great now that you're here Hinata-chan! I got some awesome tricks to show ya later!" he said a bit too loudly.

Hinata giggled at his enthusiasm, "Like what?" she asked.

Naruto grinned widely, "That's a secret!" he said.

On the other side of the room, Asuma was listening intently to the conversation between Shino and Sasuke.

Shino had a native Kikaichu resting on his hand, "…as you can see, the increase in her chakra has increased the size of her wings. It also seems to have increased her intelligence to the level of a ninja hounds, effectively having an individual mind as well as that of the hive mind." Shino explained as the bug flew to Sasuke's outstretched arm.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan as he watched the bug on his forearm, "Amazing, instead of sharing the chakra signatures of yourself and the queen, it also seems to have one of it's own. Even if it is miniscule in comparison." He said as he released the insect back to Shino.

Asuma raised a brow, "So where did you find this Super-Kikaichu Shino?" he asked.

Shino sat still for a moment before answering, "A sudden uprising of nature chakra caused many trees around Konoha to have expanded in size. The chakra has been feasted on by many bugs and animals, so they seem to be evolving at an increased pace. Although the evolution speed doesn't appear to last for more than a week." Shino explained.

Asuma's eyes widened, "Advanced evolution? Like the animals in the forest of death?"

Shino sat in silence for a moment as Sasuke had a realisation, "That's why all those animals are like that? Imagine the natural defence system Konoha will have will animals like that guarding our gates. Especially if then we can communicate with them effectively." Sasuke said.

Shino nodded, "The Aburame are able to talk and use the many insects in the forest of death, just as I did during the exam. Kiba was also able to convince a small pack of wolves that attacking us was a bad idea, so at least the Inuzuka can communicate with the vulpine animals." Shino said.

The three continued to talk about many different uses of different animals and possible ways to communicate with them.

#################################################

Kakashi stood in the hallway, still listening to everyone in the lounge room but more focussed on the door.

*knock…Knock knock knock…knock knock*

Kakashi smiled under his mask, 'That's her knock.' He thought.

Kakashi opened the door, coming face to face with a smiling Anko. "Hey 'Kashi-kun, waiting for me long?" she asked teasingly as she stepped close to him.

Just for a moment, Kakashi dropped all pretences and pulled her close, hugging her to him as he rested his head on top of hers.

Anko was slightly shocked at the open show of affection and froze for a moment, before smiling softly and hugging him back, "Kashi-kun?" she whispered.

Kakashi hugged her tighter, "I think I've pushed you away long enough." He murmured.

Anko's mask had completely fallen by this point, a tear formed in her eye as she buried her face in Kakashi's chest. "Thank you, I love you." She whispered.

Kakashi kissed her forehead through his mask and stepped away, "And I you, do you need a moment to calm yourself?" he asked as he kept one hand around her and they slowly walked down the entrance hallway.

Anko chuckled and grinned widely, showing she was back in control, "Na, I'm feeling great! Who needs to be calm at a dinner party anyways, say do you know if Sakura is serving dango tonight?" she asked.

Kakashi chuckled at her actions, "Why don't you go ask her? All the women, including Kurenai is in the kitchen." He said.

Anko smiled and grabbed his hand, pulling him forward "Well show me where it is then!" she said as she dragged him down the hallway.

#########################################################

"It's weird, I can't help but feel jealous but at the same time, I feel it's alright…kinda." Ayame said as she talked to Sakura and Kin.

Kin was leaning against the oven, waiting for the roast to be done so she could add the finishing touches. "I know what you mean, at least I feel comfortable with you two being with him. Imagine if the council organised a forced wedding like he said they could." She shuddered at the thought.

Sakura suddenly froze in her stirring, "Hold on, didn't he say that he has to have four wives? Doesn't that mean they still could add some random?" she asked, her eyes widening at the thought.

Ayame and Kin stared at her for a moment, then each other. "….We HAVE to find someone for him ASAP!" Kin said.

Ayame nodded along until she realised, "Huh, isn't it weird that we are wondering about who our boyfriend is trying to snag next?" she asked.

Sakura and Kin chuckled, "Well when you say it like yes." Sakura said.

Ayame smiled, "Do you guys feel comfortable with this though? I've heard people at the ramen call me a 'Harem sister' now. Should I be offended?" she asked on the line between annoyed/confused/happy.

Kin openly laughed at her expression, "I don't mind it, if anything I like being your sister Ayame-chan, Sakura-chan." She said with a smile.

Sakura poured the contents of her pot into a large strainer Ayame was holding over the sink, "One thing's for sure, I'm glad you two are here to help. Imagine if I was forced to be the sister of some worthless fangirl." Sakura said.

Her and Kin shivered while Ayame raised an eye brow, "I never saw any of those 'Fangirls' why is it that everyone hates them so much?" she asked.

"Imagine you had a growth on your back, you don't want it there but it always is. Now imagine it was constantly screaming that it loved you when it doesn't even know you. Now add the fact that the growth talks in a pitch that is close to the screech of a banshee but MUCH louder. That's almost half as bad as what a fan girl is." Kurenai said as she entered the kitchen, by the time she finished her soliloquy, was out of breathe. "Even the FanBOYS are like that." she muttered.

Sakura smiled widely, "Hey Kurenai-sensei. How are you?" she asked.

Kurenai smiled in return as she smelled the aromas of the kitchen, "I am hungry Sakura-chan," she said with a joking smile, "Who are these two?" she asked as she turned to Kin and Ayame.

Ayame and Kin smiled nervously as Sakura introduced them, "These are my Harem sisters, Kin Tsuchi and Ayame Ichiraku. Kin was originally from the sound but after we saved her she joined the leaf, Ayame is the daughter of Teuchi Ichiraku, owner of the Ichiraku ramen stand." Sakura said with a smile.

Kurenai raised a brow as she thought, 'a foreign Shinobi and a civilian? What an odd choice for raising a clan from the ashes.' "It's nice to meet you both, is there any way I can help?" she asked.

The oven went 'ding', "If you'd like to help me with the roast and veggies then I'd gladly accept it." Kin said as she put on oven mitts.

Kurenai smiled and approached her, "Sounds good, just tell me what you need done." She said.

Sakura was dishing up a large bowl of veggies while Ayame stood next to her, setting up a plate of assorted sauces for everyone. "Thanks for letting me help cook Sakura-chan, I'm a bit nervous about being the only not-ninja here." She whispered as she smiled.

Sakura nudged Ayame playfully as they stood shoulder to shoulder, "Anytime Ayame-chan, though I must say I think you could kick any of the boys' asses easily." She said.

The two giggled as Anko and Kakashi walked through the open doorway, "Hey guys!" Anko said a bit to loudly as she pulled Kakashi along behind her.

Kurenai turned away from her work, "Hello Anko-chan." She said with a smile seeing hers and Kakashi's entwined hands.

"Whatcha cookin?" Anko said as she was looking over everyone's shoulders.

Sakura smiled and stepped back, holding a plate in either hand, "Nothin! We're finished now." She said with a smile.

Sakura placed the first plates on the table, the other chefs following after her. "Kakashi-Ouji, can you go get the others please?" she said as all of the food was placed around the large table in the adjoining dining room.

Kakashi nodded and poked his head out into the hallway, "Naruto, could you tell everyone dinner is ready?" he said in a normal talking voice.

Kurenai raised a brow, "You may have to talk louder for him to-"DINNER'S READY!" Naruto interrupted as he hovered into the kitchen, Hinata being pushed in front of him.

The other males from the lounge room trailed in behind them, only to pause and stare at the table as their jaws hit the floor in shock.

Lay before everyone was a feast enough for a King, various meat platters, plates of soba and sushi, and three large bowls filled with different salads, bowls of noodles and sauces. Pretty everything any of them wanted and enough for everyone twice over.

Sakura smiled at everyone's stunned faces, "Take a seat and dig in!" she said.

Everyone did just that, Kakashi sat at the head of the table with Anko to his left and Asuma to his right. To Asuma's left sat Kurenai, then Shino, then Hinata, then Naruto, then Ayame, then Sakura, then Sasuke, then Kin. There was a spare seat between her and Anko.

Everyone talked animatedly as they enjoyed their meal, about twenty minutes into it, there was a knock at the door.

Sasuke smiled, "There's our last guest." He said quietly.

Naruto leaned back into the hallway, "Come in!" he yelled.

The door opened and closed, letting in the guest who walked to the kitchen. He turned the corner to reveal it was Jiraiya, armed with four bottles of sake. "Hello everyone! Sorry I'm late guys." He said as he placed the bottles on the counter and walked to the spare seat.

Hinata, Shino, Kin and Kurenai stared as Jiraiya casually sat at the table and stretched, "This looks fantastic!" he said eyeing the food.

Sakura passed him some pork cutlets, "Here Sensei, I saved some of these for you." She said with a smile.

Jiraiya's grin widened as he took the offered food, "Hahaha! You are the best Sakura-chan!" he said loudly as he chowed down.

Asuma noticed Kurenai and her student's reactions, "Are you alright honey?" he asked.

She blinked twice, "I'm sorry, but does anyone else see one of the sannin?" she asked.

Naruto flicked some mashed potato from his spoon, "You get used to him," he said as the potato squished into jiraiya's face, "he's just like the rest of us, except he's a pervert."

Jiraiya wiped the food off of his face with a napkin while scowling, "I'm not a pervert," he said grabbing a clump of rice, "I'm a SUPER PERVERT!" he said throwing the rice at Naruto.

Naruto subtly activated a jutsu, the 'Unhinged snake jaw' taught to him through the snake summons. He caught all of the rice in his wide open mouth and swallowed it whole before his jaw cracked back into place. "Thanks Ero-sensei, can you pass some noodles?" he said with a grin.

Jiraiya'a brow twitched, "Damn brat," he muttered as he went back to eating.

The display caused everyone to loosen up and laugh before getting back to their meals.

########################################

"I'm full." Naruto said as he patted the bulge that was his stomach.

Shino sighed, "You said that twenty minutes ago. Then you had a fourth serving." He said.

Jiraiya stretched and stood, "That was fantastic Sakura!" he said with exuberance. Everyone nodded and agreed.

Sakura smiled, "I couldn't have done it without Kin-chan and Ayame-chan." She said.

The two girl's blushed as some praise was sent their way.

Kakashi cleared his throat, gaining everyone's attention "I was told by Hokage-sama that Naruto mastered a certain ability of his, and that he was going to show us all tonight." Kakashi said.

Everyone turned to Naruto as he smiled widely, "Yes! So I got full clearance?" he asked.

Kakashi nodded, "YATTA!" Naruto yelled, showing his excitement as he stood. "Let's get going already!" he said.

Every started rising to their feet, "Where is it we're going?" Asuma asked.

Naruto grinned widely as Shino said, "To the main gate of the village."

Hinata's eyes widened in realisation, "Is this the surprise Naruto-kun?" she asked.

Naruto nodded in excitement as he began to bounce in the air. "Let's go!" he yelled happily.

Sakura sighed, "Fine we'll go, but you're on clean up duty Naru-nii." She said.

Naruto nodded as he grabbed the back of Hinata's wheel chair and began wheeling her out.

Everyone followed curiously, but Naruto decided to hang back and led everyone out the door.

When everyone walked out the door, Naruto formed a few hand seals. "Naruto-kun, what are you doing?" Hinata said as she looked over her shoulder at him.

He smirked, "Wood Clone jutsu." He said.

Hinata stared in awe as a second Naruto grew from the original, forming from wood made by his chakra.

Naruto nodded to the clone, "Feel free to make more, just make sure you finish packing up and cleaning up in half an hour." He said as he wheeled Hinata out of the house.

Hinata sat in silence before muttering, "Wood? Like the First?" she asked in awe.

Naruto smiled, "Yep, and wind." He said as he scooped Hinata on to his back.

"EEP!" she let out as he folded his hands behind his back, holding her like a backpack.

"Let's go!" he shouted as he flew through the air, catching up to the ninja who were on their way to the gate in seconds.

Sasuke felt the chakra pulse and chuckled before holding his hand out to Ayame and throwing his chain into the air, "Hold on tight," he said.

Ayame held his hand in confusion as Naruto caught the chain between his teeth, Sasuke activated the permanent seals in his sandals. Ayame yelled in shock as she held on to Sasuke's side and was carried through town as high speeds.

The other ninja smiled at the duo's antics and followed after them at a fast ninja pace towards the front gate.

#############################################################

Naruto landed next to the third Hokage and an Anbu, who somehow got his wheelchair on top of the village's walls. "Hello Naruto-kun, Hinata-chan. Are you ready Naruto?" he asked.

Naruto nodded as he spat out Sasuke's chain as all the other ninja from the dinner landed behind them. "Yeah Jiji!" Naruto yelled as he floated into the air, Hinata still on his back.

The Hokage chuckled, "My Anbu; Tenzo, will follow after you." He said.

Naruto flew out into the forest, confusing many who followed him to the wall.

Kin asked, "What's he doing?"

The Hokage smiled, "He's helping the will of fire grow." He said as he watched Naruto and Hinata fly into the distance, Tenzo following after them.

#############################################################

"Naruto-kun, what are we doing?" Hinata asked as the two floated next to one of the new giant spruces.

Naruto smiled, "Just watch Hinata-chan." He said as the clouds in the sky moved.

The moonlight shone down on the two and across the forests in front of them, it lit up the walls of the village.

Naruto smiled, his fangs glowing in the moonlight as his now red eyes sparkled. "Wood Style: Sudden Growth." He said as he flew above the canopy of the normal trees parallel to the village walls, his enhanced chakra flowing out below him.

Hinata watched in amazement as the trees underneath her grew to enormous sizes. "Amazing…" she gasped.

Naruto grinned as he circled the sleeping village, setting up a natural defence system like no other.

Eventually he circled the whole village, it now being surrounded by a single row of monster trees. He flew back towards the village and swooped over the stunned ninjas on the wall.

He hovered above the centre of the village, Hinata on his back as he panted at the use of chakra. "Watch this Hinata-chan." He said as he slowly let go of her, she used her own strength to hold on to his back using his sword handle at leverage.

Naruto crossed his arms in front of him and channelled his Mokuton chakra through them. "Grow!" he ordered as he swung his arms out, unleashing a pulse of chakra.

The chakra gave small amounts of growth to all the plants in and outside the village, until it hit the enhanced trees. The pulse picked up the chakra in the trees and pushed it outwards, passing the chakra throughout many trees in fire country.

The trees grew at a magnificent rate, from Naruto and Hinata's point of view, the new forest stretched on for miles before slowly returning to normal height.

Naruto floated down to the village wall again and landed in a crouch, panting at the over exertions of chakra. "Whew, that was hard." He said between gasps.

Asuma and Kurenai picked Hinata up off of his back and placed her in the wheelchair, as Kakashi tended to Naruto, "You ok Naruto?" he asked.

Naruto panted and let out a quiet "Yep." As he slowly climbed to his feet.

Sasuke stood by his side, holding him up tall. "Otouto, that was amazing." He said as he had watched the whole thing with his Sharingan.

Kakashi eye-smiled, "Well I think we should call it a night." He said to the group.

As everyone from the diner party were talking and saying their goodnights, Tenzo landed next to the Hokage panting, but he seemed to stand a little straighter as though energized, "Hokage-sama, my observations have proven a theory of mine." He said with a bow.

The Hokage nodded, "What is this theory?" he asked with a smile.

Tenzo stood from his bow, "I have practiced Shodaime-sama's techniques as though they were the collaboration between Earth, Water and Lightening chakra. I now know that it is not lightening that energizes life into the wood, but nature chakra." He said.

The Hokage's eyes widened, "Nature chakra?" he asked in shock.

Tenzo nodded, "The Mokuton bloodline, the manipulation of wood. It makes sense doesn't it? Since trees are alive AND the best nature chakra creators." He said.

The Hokage nodded in return, "Hmm, very good Tenzo. Alright, you have a week off to try and connect your chakra to that of the nature chakra. After that I want you back in my office for a progress report." He ordered.

The Anbu bowed, "Hai Hokage-sama." He said before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

Jiraiya walked up next to the Hokage, "Do you need help getting back to the tower sensei?" he asked.

The Hokage chuckled, "I will be fine Jiraiya-kun. Remember your mission for tomorrow." He said as he gripped the wheel of his chair and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Jiraiya blinked twice before smirking, "Shadow clone aye?" he mumbled as he turned back to the dispersing crowd, now only team seven, Anko, Kin, Ayame and Hinata were left behind.

Ayame looked down from the village wall, "Woah, it's so high…" she whispered.

Sasuke, who had let Naruto sit down next to Hinata's chair, stood next to her, "As a ninja, I forget how amazing a view like this would be, since I get to see it every day." He said.

She jumped at his voice and almost fell off, but Sasuke wrapped an arm around her waist. "Don't worry, I wouldn't let you fall." He whispered in her ear.

She shivered as she felt his breath on her face, she turned to him and looked him in the yes. "Sasuke-kun…" she whispered.

He smirked and leaned forward as she did too, they came together in a short but sweet kiss.

"YEHEHEAAAAH! THAT'S MY STUDENT!" Jiraiya yelled, ruining the moment.

*SLAM*

The weight of Sasuke's weapon knocked Jiraiya off the wall with an "OOMPH."

Sasuke deactivated the weight and pulled his weapon back to him as Ayame kissed his cheek, "Thank you for the magical night Sasuke-kun." She said.

His facial expression didn't change, but it was suddenly red. "Anytime Ayame-chan." He replied as the two walked back to the group.

Kin and Sakura stood side by side, using the reflection in a kunai to watch the interaction between the two. They sighed heavily in unison before Sakura spoke, "How does he do that? I just saw him kiss another girl and I'm not jealous, all I can think is, 'when is my turn?' is that weird?" she asked Kin.

Kin just sighed again dreamily, watching the two talk, "…Sure is…" she murmured, not even listening to Sakura.

#################################################

Kakashi stood with his arm around Anko as they looked out in to the forest, "I can't believe that brat only graduated the academy less than a year ago," Anko said as she looked at the trees.

Kakashi smirked under his mask, "Well, you know he progressed so splendidly thanks to his sensei." Kakashi bragged even though they both knew Kakashi was a major factor, but not the only reason.

Anko chuckled before looked up at him, "Well maybe that sensei needs a special…reward." She said sexily as she purred in to his chest.

Kakashi's eye widened and he picked her up onto his shoulder, "Team seven, I wish you luck on you mission tomorrow, unfortunately I won't be able to see you off. Later," he said as the two disappeared in a puff of smoke heading towards Anko's apartment.

Everyone watched as the smoke dissipated, there was a few moments of silence until Jiraiya yelled from his place on the ground, "YEAH KAKASHI!"

The others on the wall ignored his yell.

Naruto looked from his place on the ground up to Hinata, "Ne, Hinata-chan, I got something to tell you." He said as he fumbled with his weight bracelet nervously.

Hinata turned to Naruto with a light smile, "Yes Naruto-kun?" she asked with a light blush, 'oh, this is almost exactly how I imagined he'd confess to me…' she thought happily.

Naruto rolled onto his knees and looked Hinata in the eye, "I know how you feel about me, and umm…" he trailed off nervously as his face began to blush as well.

Hinata stared at Naruto in shock, 'He knows?!' she thought.

Naruto stumbled over his words, unsure how to continue, but them he saw he bite her lower lip nervously, 'Fuck it.' he thought as he threw caution to the wind.

Hinata's eyes widened and she gasped softly as she saw Naruto leaning towards her, 'Is he?!' she thought before their lips collided.

Hinata was still for a moment before she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him deeper into their first kiss. They both smiled into their kiss as they held together for a moment, before releasing each other's lips, but not venturing out of the embrace.

Hinata smiled with tears in her eyes, "I love you Naruto-kun." She whispered.

Naruto grinned in return, "I think I'm in love with you too Hinata-chan." He said before she pulled him in for another kiss.

Jiraiya climbed back up the wall to see Naruto and Hinata mid-kiss, 'Perfect!' he thought with a thumbs up as he took out his notebook and began writing in it, 'Icha Icha Paradise: the Angel and the Demon, the road to recognition. This'll be a hit! And I can sell it as a side series!' he thought as he began writing notes, but adding ten years to the character's age, 'Don't want to go to gaol after all.' He thought as he placed his notebook away and clapped loudly.

Everyone turned their attention to him, even though Sasuke sat with Sakura in his lap, kin leaning against his side and Ayame in front of Sakura, they were all just talking. Naruto and Hinata released each other from their hug and Naruto stepped away, holding Hinata's hand.

"Now that I have everyone's attention, Squad 7 and I have a very important mission that starts tomorrow so I think it's time to turn in." Jiraiya said.

The three girls around Sasuke moaned in disappointment while Hinata just squeezed Naruto's hand.

Jiraiya clapped again, "Chop Chop everyone!" he said loudly as he walked away. "We'll meet here again at eight in the morning, Goodnight!" he saluted before he went 'puff'.

Everyone got ready to go as Sasuke made a hand sign, "Uchiha Fire Style: Fire clone jutsu!"

He blew out a small stream of fire that took the form of Sasuke, it turned to Ayame, "Ayame-chan, would you like an escort home?" it asked with a smirk.

Ayame poked the clone's arm, checking it wasn't going to burst into flames, seeing that it didn't, she hugged it's arm, "Yes please!" she said excitedly.

Sasuke picked her up bridal style and stepped off of the wall before placing her down, the two walked home peacefully.

Sasuke turned to his other two girls, "Ladies?" he asked as he held out his arms.

Sakura took hold of his left arm and rested her head on his shoulder and Kin did the same on his right. The three of them began walking along the village wall until they came into the Uchiha district.

Naruto, who was still low on chakra, began wheeling Hinata in the opposite direction along the wall, on the way to the hyuuga clan house.

######################################################

"Goodnight Sasuke-kun." Ayame said to the fire clone.

It kissed her softly before stepping away from her front door, "Goodnight Ayame-chan, we will be back in the village as soon as possible." It promised with a smile.

Ayame stepped towards her door while blushing and she looked at him one last time, the clone smiled and said softly, "I love you Ayame-chan."

Ayame's eyes widened as 'Sasuke' walked out from their pathway and back on to the street, she smiled softly before saying "I love you too".

The clone smiled as she walked inside, he went to move away when he felt someone staring at him, He turned to the front window of Ayame's house, where Teuchi stood with a frown.

Teuchi noticed the clone's stare and glared hard, trying to intimidate him, 'A glare hard enough to kill,' he remembered from the book he read; 'what to do when your daughter begins dating a ninja'.

The clone smirked and decided to play a prank, he stumbled back as if teuchi's glare had hit him then fell to his knees before dispelling in a plume of fire.

Teuchi's jaw dropped as he saw 'Sasuke' burn instantly. "What..?" he mumbled as he looked at the ashes outside his house.

Ayame stepped around the corner to see her father staring out the window, his jaw on the floor. "Did you see the clone daddy? It was so cool! Sasuke made it with fire!" she said as she skipped past.

Teuchi blinked twice, "Fire…clone?" he mumbled before sighing in relief. "Smart ass brat." Teuchi mumbled as he went to interrogate his daughter about the date.

#####################################################

Sasuke, Sakura and Kin arrived back home and Sasuke unwound himself from the two, "I'll let you two go use the bathroom, I can wait till after you two go." He said as he walked to the kitchen.

Sakura and Kin walked up the stair together with a huge smile on their faces, "That was great!" Kin whispered excitedly.

Sakura nodded with a smile before grabbing Kin's hand and pulled her into the bathroom, "Let's use the family size tub!" Sakura said as the tow went to 'share' a bath.

After ten minutes, Sasuke walked up the stairs, 'at least one of them has to be done by now.' He thought as he passed the bathroom door on the way to his room.

"Mmm, that feels good Kin-chan." Sasuke froze as he heard Sakura's words in the bathroom.

"How about here?" Kin asked. Sasuke pressed his ear to the door

Sakura moaned loudly, "Yea! Right there! Harder!" she let out softly.

Sasuke held his nose as blood began to pour out of it, he ran back down stairs and stood over the sink in the kitchen.

He rinsed his face and stared at his reflection in the window over the sink, 'Were they just? But how? What did-?' his thoughts tripped over themselves as he tried to work out what the hell he just heard.

Back upstairs in the bathroom, Kin and Sakura were both in the mega-tub, Kin was massaging Sakura's shoulder, "That feel good?"

Sakura nodded and moaned, "Thanks Kin-chan, ever since I healed that Kunai wound I got during the invasion, my shoulder had been killing me! Ooohh! There!" she moaned as Kin began working her elbow across the shoulder.

Kin nodded, "Yeah that happens, even though medical jutsus heal extremely quick, it still isn't as good as the old fashioned healing over time thing. I'm guessing your forearm still hurts every now and again as well?" Kin said as she finished on Sakura's shoulder.

Sakura stretched her arm a few times, feeling the previous tenseness gone. "Well it doesn't hurt exactly, but it randomly gets itchy for a few seconds." Sakura replied as the two of them finished washing.

They stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in towels as Sasuke walked past again, a tissue up his bloody nose.

The two girls watched him walk past as his face flushed red, "I'm glad you two…enjoyed, your shower." He murmured as he stepped into the bathroom.

The two girls watched him oddly as the door closed, Kin turned to Sakura, "What was that about?" she asked.

Sakura shrugged, "I'm not sure, it's too cold to be standing around in towels." Sakura said as the two moved to their respective rooms.

"Goodnight Kin-chan."

"Goodnight Sakura-chan."

Their doors closed and Kin turned to see a heart shaped box of chocolates on her bed and a note attached, she grabbed it and read; 'I hope you had a wonderful night Kin-chan, I love you and I'm so happy to have you with us. Yours, Sasuke.'

Kin smiled as she opened the box and had a chocolate, placing the rest on her night stand she smiled, 'I love you too Sasuke-kun.' She thought happily.

Sakura turned from her closed door to see the petals of Cherry blossoms sprinkled over her bed, she gasped as she looked closer to see they were all chocolate petals, there was a note on her pillow. Sakura picked it up and read; 'Goodnight Sakura-chan, I hope you enjoyed the night and I thank you for such a delicious feast. I love you my Cherry Blossom. Yours, Sasuke.'

Sakura grinned widely and thought, 'Oh Sasuke-kun, I'm yours too.'

#######################################################

Naruto walked behind Hinata as the two approached the gate of the Hyuuga compound, "Here we are Hinata-chan." He said with a smile as he leaned over her head and looked down.

She looked up to his smiling face and puckered her lips, Naruto smiled before leaning down and kissing her softly. He slowly pulled away and the two smiled before Hinata spoke, "Thank you Naruto-kun." She whispered.

He smiled and walked to the gate, he knocked twice and in moments they opened slightly, Neji stepped out. "Good evening Naruto-san, Hinata-sama." He said with a soft smile. An ACTUAL smile!

Naruto raised a brow before smirking, "Hey Neji! How are you doing?" Naruto asked loudly.

Neji nodded curtly, "I am doing well thank you, I'm sorry but Hiashi-sama asked that he sees Hinata-sama as soon as she arrived home so…" he trailed off as he opened the gate wider.

Naruto nodded and turned to his new girlfriend, "Good night Hinata-chan," he said as he walked closer to her, he then whispered, "I love you, my Hyuuga princess."

Hinata's face flushed red as Naruto wheeled Hinata to Neji and Neji took over pushing, "G-Goodnight Naruto-kun!" she yelled over her shoulder as the gat closed between them.

Naruto smiled before turning back home and walking away, suddenly another branch member landed in front of him, "Hello Naruto-sama, Hiashi-sama wanted me to deliver this too you, he requests you leave quickly and give it to Sasuke-san to analyse. He also requests your team mentions this to no one." the member said before passing the scroll to Naruto and disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

Naruto looked at the scroll in his hand before deciding to house-hop home, 'Sasuke…it must be a seal of some kind.' He thought on his way home, to go to sleep and rest for tomorrow's mission.

###########################################################

Chapter End.

WAHOOO! TWENTY CHAPTERS!

Thanks everyone for the great reviews! i hope you like this chapter, it's one of the few that is focused on couple and family development.

unfortunately, i am going back to work and tafe this week. that means my updates will be much slower, i'd estimate once a week though sometimes if i'm on a roll i will try to do a double chapter upload.

i'll try to be posting as often as i can, so please don't lose interest in the story :D

thanx again for the feedback, R&R please!


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty One: The search for Tsunade, New techniques, Akatsuki appears

"You guys ready?" Jiraiya asked as he stood up from his spot on the ground, throwing on his backpack.

Chunnin Squad 7 nodded in unison before declaring, "Hai Ero-sensei!"

Jiraiya's eyebrow twitched in frustration, "Don't call me that brats!" he yelled as he huffed and marched off down the road, beginning the search for Tsunade.

###########################################################

It was twelve hours since Squad Seven and Jiraiya left Konoha, they were just making camp for their first night on their way to Tsunade's last known location.

"Please?"

"No."

Naruto and Jiraiya had been having this debate for twenty minutes.

"Pleease?" Naruto said.

"No." Jiraiya replied.

"Pleeeeeeeease?"

"No."

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?"

"No."

Naruto pouted, "One last chance, before you regret it." he threatened.

Jiraiya turned to Naruto with a raised brow, "You threatening me? Ha, that's rich." He said before turning back to his tent.

Naruto smiled and pulled a small packet of seeds from his pocket, they were the seeds of a Thorny Rose bush.

Naruto jumped into jiraiya's back, "HAAA!" he yelled as if he was playfully attacking.

Jiraiya reached up and pulled Naruto off of him easily, "Brat, you will learn your jutsus on the way back from finding Tsunade. Not a moment earlier or later. Got it?" he said in a scolding tone as he dropped Naruto on his ass.

Naruto smirked, "How bout this, I make your life torture or you teach us our jutsu."

Sasuke and Sakura looked up from their place next to the fire, "Don't drag us into this." Sasuke said with a frown.

Jiraiya just laughed, "Are you serious brat? What could you do?" he said.

Naruto smirked and held a hand sign, "Wood style: Sudden Growth!" he announced.

The seed that Naruto put down the back of Jiraiya's shirt grew thorny vines, they grew up his back and stabbed a little thorns all over his upper back between his shoulder blades. Jiraiya froze as he felt them stick.

Naruto smirked, "I could, and will, make the thorns venture into your pants. Now promise to teach us our jutsu."

Sakura smiled, "Well Naruto won this argument, I agree with him. Sensei! Teach us our jutsu!" she ordered with a chuckle.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan, "My teammates are right, I can tell if you lie sensei." He said with a smirk.

Jiraiya frowned, "You guys suck, you ruin all the surprises." Jiraiya said with a sigh, "Fine, I'll teach you each the start of the techniques." He promised.

Naruto looked to Sasuke and he nodded, Naruto pulled his chakra from the seed, returning it back to being just a seed. "Let's get started sensei!" he said.

Jiraiya pulled the seed out of his shirt and smirked, "I said I'd teach you it, I didn't specify now or later. I choose later." Jiraiya said cheekily.

Naruto sputtered, "YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" he yelled angrily.

Jiraiya patted Naruto's head, forcefully shutting him up. "I'll teach you all the first stages tomorrow morning. I need supplies from town to teach you so you will have to wait. Ok?" he said with a small smile.

Naruto smiled up at him, "Thanks Ero-sensei!" he said before turning and hovering over to the fire.

Jiraiya sighed, "Look kids, I know you want to stay up but we really need get going early in the morning." He said.

Sakura and Naruto frowned at him while Sasuke nodded, "He's right, we should all turn in."

Naruto was about to disagree when Sasuke spoke again, "Otouto, don't you want Hinata to be better?"

Naruto's eyes widened and suddenly he was in on the other side of the clearing, "Wood Style: Traveller's Den!" he yelled as he finished his hand signs, suddenly a small single story house popped up out of the ground. "Goodnight everyone!" he said as he opened the door and walked in, carrying his sleeping bag with him.

Sasuke and Sakura blinked in shock before following after him.

Jiraiya looked between his tent then the house, "Screw that." He muttered as he left his tent behind and entered the hut.

######################################################

The Four entered town early in the morning, around seven o'clock. "Alright everyone, there is a casino in this town called 'Jackpot 911', this was Tsunade's last known location. If you really want to learn these jutsu, go find it. We will meet back here at ten, got it?" Jiraiya asked.

Team seven nodded, and entered the town.

Sasuke took lead, "Alright, so since we are looking for a casino, we will most likely find the most information at either a Red Light district, Central district or a Tourism centre." He said as he glanced at the different shops surrounding the three.

Sakura cupped her chin in thought, "Well, wouldn't a tourism centre be near the entrance to the town?" she asked.

Sasuke nodded, "Yep, but as you can see there are none here." He said.

Naruto hovered next to the two, "Well we did kinda take a ninja's path here, let's find the civilian gate." He said.

Sasuke stopped walking, "Alright, Naruto, you are to go to the civilian's entrance and see if there are any tourism centres. You can find us by scent easily enough; i will go to the red light district and search for the casino there, as Sakura may get harassed by a creep or two. Sakura, you go ask around at the central district, Naruto and I will find you when we're done. Got it everyone?" he asked as he turned to his team.

Naruto blinked, "Wow, you really are good at hunting things down." He said.

Sasuke smirked, "Move out." He said as he leapt on to a nearby building and began looking for the Red Light district.

Sakura smiled softly and just began to follow the flow of people traffic, 'I'll pass through the village center soon enough.' She thought.

Naruto flew straight up into the air, startling many of the people who noticed him.

He hovered as he looked around the small city, "Ah crap," he said as he glanced to the four sides of the square city, "There's four other gates!" he said with a frown.

He began drifting towards the one in the east, "Guess I'll look over here." He muttered.

###############################################

"Hey Sakura-chan, Did you find anything?" Sasuke asked as he arrived at the town square, having followed Sakura's chakra signature with his Sharingan.

She sighed, "Not really, but did get these!" she said as she held up a small book of coupons.

Sasuke raised a brow, "Why would we need coupons?" he asked.

Sakura shrugged, "I dunno, but the guy giving them out said I was cute and gave me one for free!" she said excitedly.

Sasuke frowned, "Looks like a made the right decision in going to the red light district instead of you, imagine all the 'free things' you would've been offered.

Sakura blinked twice before flushing red, "I would've said no to THOSE things Sasuke-kun!" she said.

"Hey guys!"

The two turned to see Naruto walking down the road, three bags in one hand, each about the size of his head, and some food in the other, "Guys! The casino is so fun! I won so much money, and some nice girl asked me to have an early lunch with her, I told her about Hinata-chan so of course I said no, but it was nice of her anyway!" he said as he took a bite from his stick of food.

Sasuke frowned, "You found the casino?" he asked.

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, the first tourism center I went to told me where it was, so I went to find it and confirm before finding you guys. I put a coin I found on the floor into one of the machines out the front and won a minor jackpot!" he said with a smile.

The other two of team seven sighed. Then Sakura said, "That looks like more than a 'minor' jackpot." She said as she looked at the bags.

Naruto smiled and passed a bag to both Sasuke and Sakura, "Actually, I didn't know what to do with the money, so I went up to this spinning thing called 'Roulette' and I picked number 1, I placed the entire winning on it and I won again!" he said with a smile.

Sasuke looked in his bag and noticed it wasn't money, but scrolls. "Otouto, whats with the scrolls if you won so much?"

Naruto pulled a scroll out and unsealed it, suddenly thousands of clamps of twenty 1000 ryo notes filled the street, "I was bet buy some guy that I couldn't win in the bigger games, so I took his bet and followed him up stairs…"

_Flashback_

_Naruto was led up a hidden set of stairs and came to a stop in front of two body guards, they nodded to the scrawny man called 'Even Steven' as the two walked though the guarded door._

_Naruto looked at the other five people sitting at the cards table in front of him, they all seemed important. "Hey everyone! My name's Naruto!" he said with a smile._

_They all stopped and turned to stare at him, a big guy in a white gold tee and jeans spoke up, "Oi Even Steven, I thought you said you'd find a gambler, not some kid." He said as he licked his gold tooth._

_Steven smiled, "Well Fat Toni, this kid just won a shit tonne and he's only been here ten minutes."_

_Another player turned, her blonde hair in two pig tails and she wore a green jacket with the kanji for 'gamble' on it, she appraised Naruto's outfit and noticed his headband, "That's probably cause little Naruto is a ninja."_

_The others at the table stiffened as Steven smiled, "Hey I know chakra use when I see it, he wasn't using any. Am I right kid?"_

_Naruto blinked owlishly, "Huh? You can use chakra to play?" he asked._

_The people at the table laughed and Toni pulled out a chair, "Have seat Naruto, let's get started."_

"…and I won the first three hands, lost a couple then the blonde lady and some fatty with a cowboy hat went 'all in' so I did too, apparently I won!" Naruto said with a smile.

Sasuke smirked, "Do you even know what you were playing Naruto?" he asked.

Naruto thought hard, "It was kinda like go fish." He said.

'**idiot.'** The Kyuubi muttered in his mind.

Naruto ignored him as Sakura's brow furrowed, "Then what happened?" she asked.

Naruto frowned, "the blonde lady bankrupted so she left, I won another 'all in' thing so they voted for me to leave, everyone didn't like me winning except for Toni, he was nice, he actually said that he 'owed me one' for such an entertaining bout of 'Poke-her'." Naruto said, finishing with a smile.

Sasuke sighed, "it's Poker Naruto, not Poke-her." He said.

Naruto raised a brow, "What does poking someone have to do with anything Sasuke?" he asked.

Sasuke sighed again, "Nothing, forget I said anything." He muttered as he turned to walk away, bag of money still in hand.

Sakura and Naruto ran to catch up to him, none of them noticing the massive fight that was happening over the clips of money…

"YOU PLAYED POKER WITH A MAFIA BOSS AND HE NOW 'OWES YOU ONE'?!" Jiraiya yelled in shock as he dropped the large sack he held.

Naruto smiled, "Umm, if you mean Toni then yeah." He said.

Jiraiya stood with his jaw on the floor as the team continued talking, "So who else played Naruto? This Toni, the fat cowboy, the blonde lady, you. I thought you said there were four other people at the table?"Sakura asked.

Jiraiya snapped out of his daze when Sakura said 'blonde lady', "Wait, Naruto, tell me about this blonde lady." He ordered.

Naruto nodded as he passed Sasuke another scroll, which he proceeded to seal into a much more advanced seal, which he had painted onto the inside of Naruto's Chunnin vest. "Well, if I was anything like you Ero-sensei I probably would've asked her out, I mean she looked about thirty at the most but she had HUGE boobs." He said as he remembered the lady, "She sucked at gambling though; she left just before I was asked to leave."

Jiraiya grabbed Naruto and shook him, "YOU MORON THAT WAS TSUNADE!" he yelled.

Naruto was being shaken so Sakura spoke for him, "But Naru-nii said they kept calling her 'The Legendary Sucker'."

Jiraiya stopped shaking Naruto as he turned to Sakura, "That's her nickname in the gambling world! Naruto, do you remember her scent?" he asked.

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, it smelled similar to Shodaime-sama mixed with alcohol and smoke." He said as he stood back on his feet.

Sasuke smirked, "We got her then!" he said in victory.

Jiraiya nodded, "I certainly hope so, although knowing her, she bolted from this town since she's always on the run from debt collectors." He said with a sigh.

Sakura tapped Naruto's shoulder, "Well quick let's go find her!" she said loudly.

Sasuke finished sealing the last scroll into the seal, "Alright, I'm done here." He said with a smirk.

Naruto threw his vest back on but left it open this time, "Follow me!" he cheered as he hovered a foot off the ground and headed towards the casino at a fast running pace, the others kept up easily.

Thirty minutes later, the four were standing in front of the casino with Naruto sniffing heavily, "I think I got it!" he announced.

Jiraiya quickly said, "Well follow it!"

Everyone slowed so that Naruto could follow the scent, it took an hour to trail properly and it led to a hotel in the northern sector of the city.

Jiraiya ran up to the front desk, "Excuse me, has a blonde superbly endowed woman been here lately? Her name is Tsunade."

The guy behind the desk chuckled, "Yeah man, she checked out this morning along with her little friend. Said she was planning to hit up one last casino before heading to Tanzaku Town." He paused as he realised he gave out private information of a customer, "and you didn't hear it from me." He added as an afterthought.

Jiraiya nodded, "Sure thing, Tanzaku town, got it." he panted as he ran back outside to the waiting Chuunin.

Sakura asked as he approached, "So what's the news sensei?"

Jiraiya smiled, "She's on her way to Tanzaku town, it's a week's journey on foot from here, three days ninja style." He said.

Naruto raised the question, "Will she be travelling Ninja style?" he asked.

Jiraiya frowned, "Probably, but she'll go through one of the five outpost towns so she can get some more cash. So it'll take her six days anyway." He said.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan, "Since she's using chakra to tree hop, we can follow the trail with my Sharingan." He said.

Jiraiya was about to agree when he paused, "well, personally I don't mind either way. But think about this, if we walked for the first five days normally, that means you guys can train in the use of these jutsus. Then we can kick it into high gear and arrive at Tanzaku at about the same time as her. What do you think?" he asked.

The three Chunnin paused, "I like jutsu." Naruto said.

Sakura nodded, "Well at least this way we'll be learning things and not wasting time waiting for her." She said.

Sasuke nodded, "Alright, techniques it is." He said.

Jiraiya smiled, "In that case, we'll start moving to the next town. We'll be there by sundown so we can get a room in a hotel, I'll teach on the move." Jiraiya said with a smile.

Jiraiya talked as the team moved down the road at a normal walking pace, "Now, out of the three of you I'm pretty sure Sakura will have it the easiest."

Jiraiya smirked, "These techniques I'll be teaching you, all of you will be learning techniques made by the Fourth Hokage himself that pertain to your chosen specialities." Jiraiya explained.

The three Chunnin's jaws hit the floor, "The Fourth/My Dad?" the three muttered in unison.

Jiraiya nodded and held a hand sign, "Shadow clone jutsu!" he announced as two other versions of him popped in to existence.

Jiraiya called Sasuke over to himself and sent a clone to Naruto and Sakura respectively…

#############################

"Alright Naruto, this is a technique created by your father, it requires no hand signs, just pure control. I'll give you a demonstration first." Jiraiya's clone said as it walked to the left of the foot path.

Naruto nodded with a smile on his face, 'I've read about many techniques my dad used, I wonder if it's one I know?' he thought.

Jiraiya lifted his hand and a blue sphere formed in it, "RASENGAN!" he said as he pushed the ball into a tree as they passed by it.

The jutsu drilled through the tree easily, not weakening in the slightest.

Naruto smiled widely, "That's the jutsu you managed to stop my Wind Missile with." He said happily.

Jiraiya nodded, "Yes it is, now watch me closely, this is step one." Jiraiya said as he pulled a water balloon out of the sack he held.

Naruto's eyes widened as the ball became lumpy for a moment before exploding, "How'd you do that?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya smirked, "You have to figure it out yourself, or you could get help from your old man's diary? I know you keep it on you at all times." Jiraiya said.

Naruto smiled and nodded, "Ok! I'll take it from here sensei." Naruto said as he grabbed the bag of water balloons from the clone.

It nodded, "Good luck brat." It said before dispelling.

Naruto made a wood clone to hold the bag while he took a look at his father's journal, which Naruto had on the inside pocket of his vest. "Okay, I just gotta find his training notes on the Rasengan…" he muttered as he began flicking through his father's late Jonin years…

"Alright Sakura, like you the Fourth Hokage was a speed demon, thus he earned the nickname, 'The Yellow Flash'. So, he made a Taijutsu style based solely on that speed, which is what I'm giving to you along with his strongest combination moves." The Jiraiya clone said as it passed Naruto two scrolls.

Sakura smiled and held the scrolls, she read the titles aloud, "'The Hummingbird Style' and 'The Four Flash Combos'. Thanks sensei!" she said happily.

Jiraiya smiled, "Before you can learn the Flash combinations, you must have at least the first three stances of the Hummingbird perfected."

She nodded, "No problem.

Jiraiya chuckled, "And when I saw perfected, I mean able to do the three in a perfect flow in any order in less than ten seconds. Just like he did." Jiraiya said with a smirk.

Sakura's eyes were wide open, "Umm, can I start off learning with Radical Good Speed?" she asked hopefully.

Jiraiya shrugged, "It's up to you how you learn it. I just want it done." He said before dispelling.

Sakura looked at the scrolls in hand and opened the first one, "Okay, so it at least begins like mine…and it relies on slashes of a kunai and swift kicks, lucky me! I got claws and power boots!" she said with a smile as she continued reading while walking.

The real Jiraiya stood next to Sasuke, "Now Sasuke, I trust you to tell no one but your teammates of this technique. It is the secret to the Fourth's amazing power." He said, absolutely serious.

Sasuke nodded, "Yes Jiraiya-Sensei," he agreed.

Jiraiya pulled out a scroll and unsealed it's contents; a tri-pronged kunai, a piece of paper with a sealing formula written on it and another scroll. "This is the 'Flying Thunder God Jutsu' or, the 'Hirashin'." Jiraiya said with a smirk.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan, analysing the seal. "…This will take a while." He muttered as he realised he could almost see what was done, but couldn't tell where one sealing array ended and another began.

Jiraiya smiled and walked ahead of the three Chunnin who stood behind him, all three of them reading something in front of them intently.

Jiraiya sighed, 'Finally some quiet.' He thought as the four continued their slow trek down the road.

"Here's your key sir, and this is your room number," the desk clerk said as he pointed to the information sheet.

Jiraiya nodded, "Thank you." He said as he turned and walked towards squad seven.

Jiraiya passed the key to Naruto, "You guys go settle in, I've got some..research to do." Jiraiya said with a perverted giggle as he watched an attractive young lady wave to him from across the lobby.

Squad seven watched Jiraiya follow after the woman in disbelief, "Damn Ero-sensei," Naruto muttered.

Sakura snatched the key, "Let's go already! I need to read up on the manoeuvres in this style." She said as she ran up the stairs.

Naruto and Sasuke followed quickly as they didn't want to get lost.

########################

Two cloaked figures watched as Jiraiya walked away from the hotel, following after a young lady.

The taller one spoke, "Hey, Itachi. That was him right? So that means the Kyuubi brat is alone in the hotel now?" he asked as he looked up, showing his face was an odd shade of blue.

The shorter one, Itachi nodded, "Naruto came on this journey with Jiraiya-sama." Was all he said.

The tall guy sighed, "You really like bugging me don't ya? I never get a straight answer out of you." He mumbled.

Itachi turned to look at his partner in crime, "The Jinchuuriki is in the hotel. Jiraiya is not, we act now Kisame." Itachi said as dropped from the roof he was on into a nearby alleyway.

Kisame smirked, "Heh, what a weirdo." He said as he too jumped off, the roof.

The two approached the hotel, their black cloaks with red clouds billowing in the wind.

################################

Naruto sat on the ceiling above the door as he continued to read his father's journal, ''…_maybe if I add more chakra strings to the rotation it will be more powerful?' I thought, I later discovered my theory was correct.' _Naruto read in his head as he held a water balloon in his other hand.

Naruto paused in his reading and looked at the water balloon, "So…multiple chakra strings…" he thought aloud as he was about to channel the swirling chakra.

*Knock Knock*

Sasuke looked up from his seal work, he had multiple seals surrounding him as he sat in the centre of the floor. "I'll get it." he muttered as he stood and cracked his back.

Sakura was laying on her bed as she read her scroll, "Hm? It's probably just sensei." She mumbled.

Sasuke paused before turning the door handle, "…What if it isn't?" he mumbled before activating his Sharingan and putting himself on guard as he turned the doorhandle.

He pulled it open to come face-to-face with another pair of Sharingan eyes. Sasuke stared in shock as Itachi returned the stare with an almost unnoticeable frown. "Itachi?" Sasuke mumbled as he bared his teeth in rage.

Naruto, from his position heard Sasuke's whisper and he instantly sprung into action, 'An S-ranked Elite Missing-nin? We gotta get out of here!' he thought as he stood upside down, now facing the duo in the hallway with his palms right in the off-guard Itachi's face.

"DECAPITATING AIRWAVES!"

Itachi ducked under the shot with apparent ease and Kisame stepped aside, letting the attack gouge scars in the opposite wall.

Sasuke dove forward right at Itachi, a kunai in hand as he plunged it at his chest, Itachi disappeared in a burst of speed, Sasuke's Sharingan managed to follow Itachi's movement but he wasn't even close to actually doing anything about it.

Sasuke stumbled as Kisame stepped forward, a smirk on his lips, "Looks like we get a small battle after all!" he said as he swung samahada at Sasuke's off balance form.

*CLANG*

Kisame's smile widened as he was blocked by Naruto's blade, "Well, if it isn't Kubikiri Bocho? What a surprise." He said as he easily side-stepped Naruto's next swing, "That's some impressive strength you got, but your majorly lacking in speed." Kisame taunted as he parried Naruto's next attack and swung at his legs.

Naruto barely jumped over the attack before he was suddenly pulled back into the hotel room by one of Sakura's extended claws, Sasuke was yanked in by the other.

She closed the door and spat a mud wall to hold the two S-ranked criminals off. "Grab everything! We have to find Ero-sensei!" she yelled before Kisame's swords stabbed through the door and the earth wall.

Sasuke snapped out of his rage, "She's right, there is no way we can beat those two. Naruto! Emergency clean up!" he ordered.

Naruto held his palms forward and Kisame ripped the door away from the earth wall, "WIND STYLE: SUCTION!" he yelled.

Every loose object in the room was pulled towards Naruto instantly, Sasuke held a seal between Naruto's hands and the oncoming items, "SEALING ART: INSTANT STORAGE SEAL!" Sasuke yelled as what appeared to be a small black hole opened up.

All the items of squad seven and a lot of the hotel's things were sealed in a second and Sasuke put the seal in his pouch as Kisame wrenched the earth wall to pieces. "You really think that would stop us?" Kisame said with a sneer.

Squad seven turned to jump out the window, only to come face-to-face with Itachi, who stood calmly as he watched them move.

There was a tense silence as Itachi spoke, "Naruto, you are needed to fulfil the goal of the Akatsuki. Come with us and we won't hurt your teammates."

Naruto's eyes widened, "What do you want with me?" Naruto said.

Kisame spoke up, "Hey Itachi, let me just shred off their legs aye? It's not like they need em." He said with an evil smirk.

Sasuke glared at Itachi with hatred, 'Naruto? He came for Naruto? He acts like he doesn't even notice me!' he thought angrily.

Sakura smirked and activated RGS, causing Kisame and Itachi to hesitate in their movements.

"SHOCKING FIRST BULLET!" she yelled as she stomped the ground below them as hard as she could.

The floor gave out and squad seven fell to the floor below, Naruto caught onto her idea as he used the holes in his hands to propel his just below the other two, he swung a punch at the ground.

"HAA!" he yelled as he channelled what used to be Hashirama's strength.

The floor broke away and the trio continued to fall, though Sasuke was glaring up at Itachi the whole time, 'He wants to take my Otouto, I won't let him harm my new family.' He thought as he saw Itachi and Kisame jump down towards them.

Sasuke pulled out two seal tags and threw them to two opposite walls as team seven fell through the third floor, "SEALING ART: LIGHTENING BARRIER!" he yelled.

The barrier of electricity appeared in Itachi and Kisame's path, Kisame wasn't fast enough to dodge but Itachi was already moving. He kicked Kisame lightly in the chest, pushing the two away from each other and letting them grip onto the walls with their chakra.

"TSUUGA!"

Sasuke looked back down to see Naruto digging through the last two floors on an angle, his pathway opened up into the lobby.

Sakura and Sasuke slid down the steep hole after him and came out into the lobby, Naruto threw two scrolls of cash behind the countertop to pay for damages as the three turned to run out the door, only to come face-to-face with Itachi once again.

Itachi stood perfectly calm, "This is your last chance, Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi." Itachi said as he took a slow step forward.

"TOAD SAGE ART: TOAD MOUTH BIND!"

The lobby was suddenly replaced with the inside of a toad's stomach as Jiraiya stood in front of Squad seven, "So, the Akatsuki strike already hey?" Jiraiya said with a smirk as he focussed on Itachi's chest, avoiding eye-contact but proving he knows how to handle an Uchiha.

Itachi paused in his stride as Jiraiya appeared, Kisame landed next to him. "I think we could still take him, what do you say Itachi?" he said with a smirk on his fish-face.

Itachi shook his head, "No, we take our leave Kisame, there will be a time when Jiraiya cannot look after the boy. We'll strike then." Itachi said as he turned for the hallway to his right and ran, Kisame close behind him.

Jiraiya slammed his hands on to the ground, "You think I'll let you!?" he yelled as he used his chakra to send flesh after the two.

*BOOM*

Jiraiya's eyes widened in shock as he de-activated his jutsu and ran around the corner, "What the hell?" he mumbled as he looked at the hole in the wall and the black flames that had burnt through.

Jiraiya approached the flames and looked closely, "Sasuke, seal this up so that we can analyse it." Jiraiya ordered.

Sasuke nodded, still in shock at running into his brother after all this time, 'I will kill you some day Itachi.' He thought as he wrote a sealing formula onto one of his blank tags, "Sealing art: Flame seal." He muttered as he finished writing the seal.

Jiraiya nodded in approval as all the black flames disappeared into the seal.

Jiraiya sighed, "Everyone, change of plans, we'll use full speed to arrive at Tanzaku town tomorrow morning, you can rest and train when we get there. Understood?" he asked.

The squad nodded in unison, "Hai sensei." They said seriously.

The four exited through the hole and went to move on their way when a blur entered Sasuke's vision, "Sensei!" he yelled, alerting everyone to the oncoming threat.

Naruto leapt forward, using his super strength to block the kick of… "Gai?" Jiraiya asked.

The green beast halted his attack and immediately stood in his 'nice guy' pose, "Ah! Forgive me Jiraiya-sama! I thought you were an enemy!" he said.

Jiraiya frowned, "You knew about the other two then?" he asked.

Gai nodded, becoming serious for once, "They infiltrated the leaf and captured one of the Chunnin that handle mission assignments, Asuma and myself just happened to be there at the time and we found out they were looking for Naruto, unfortunately the Chunnin had already said that Naruto had gone on a mission with you." He said.

Jiraiya nodded, "Well, thanks I guess." Jiraiya said before turning, wanting to leave before anything else happened.

Gai once again smiled, "I guess I should be on my way back to the Leaf now! Good luck on your mission and may your YOUTH EXPLODE!" He yelled before disappearing in a burst of speed towards home.

Jiraiya nodded seriously, "Alright, let's move out. And I mean really kick it into high gear." Jiraiya said as he summoned a toad and the two hopped away at an extremely fast pace.

Naruto flew next to Jiraiya, towing an anti-gravity sealed weightless Sasuke behind him, and Sakura ran alongside them all easily, her skating ability activated.

####################################################

Jiraiya and squad seven walked heavily into the hotel lobby, they all looked extremely tired from their fifteen hour full speed journey.

Jiraiya left the team to rest in some chairs in the lobby while he went to get the room key.

There were no problems, and within twenty minutes, everyone was asleep in a comfy bed.

#################################################

It was three days until Tsunade arrived in Tanzaku town, and squad seven stood in a hidden field just outside of town, Jiraiya stood in front of them as he began with his questions. "So, have any of you made any progress in what I gave you?" Jiraiya asked with a smile.

Naruto held out the water balloon in front of him and thought of how his father described the first stage, 'Multiple chakra strings, rotating at high speeds.' He thought as he began to channel the needed chakra.

Jiraiya's eyes widened in shock when he saw the balloon get very bumpy very quickly, it stretched out widely, then just before it broke, it collapsed in on itself, returning to normal.

Naruto frowned while Jiraiya laughed, "Haha! That was a pretty good effort brat! Looks like you need to rotate much faster though, otherwise the water will slow itself down naturally." Jiraiya explained to the disgruntled Naruto.

Sasuke pulled out a sealing tag, "I have discovered how the Hirashin works, but I have yet to make a variant that I can use. The tag is similar to a reverse-summoning seal, but about fifty times more complicated." He explained with a frown.

Jiraiya nodded, "I wish I could help Sasuke but this one is entirely on you." He said, "And you Sakura?" he asked.

She smirked, "I've memorized the stances, now I just need to get my flow going right." She said with a smile.

Jiraiya smirked, "Once again the only girl of the team is in the lead, you guys gonna let this stand?" Jiraiya asked with his smirk widening.

Naruto held his water balloon in a loose fist, "Don't worry sensei! No matter who learns this stuff first, we'll perfect it in no time!" Naruto promised.

Sasuke grunted in agreement, the ever present Uchiha smirk on his face.

Jiraiya's smirk turned into a grin, "Get cracking then! I'll be back this afternoon to check on your progress, good luck." Jiraiya said before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Sasuke sat down and took out his sealing equipment, activating his Sharingan, he groaned "It feels like I've made no progress other than identifying one of the eighteen seals involved for this technique." He mumbled as he started to try and decipher the rest of the seal.

Naruto stood behind Sasuke and focused his chakra, the balloon became bumpy but only about half as bumpy as Jiraiya's looked. 'Hmm, maybe I need more chakra strings?' he thought as he tried adding more, it was a difficult task to say the least.

Sakura was slowly moving between the stances, trying to teach her muscles to memorize each movement perfectly, 'This is gonna take a while, but it'll be worth it!' she thought as she entered the second stance.

##################################################

Jiraiya walked up the hill and into the clearing, seeing a smiling Naruto, a tired but happy Sakura swinging a high kick, and a scowling Sasuke with six more pages of personal notes on the Hirashin seal.

"Hey guys! How far did ya get?" Jiraiya asked as he placed four small bags on the ground in front of him, not really expecting anyone other than Sakura to make any progress.

Sakura finished her kata, panting heavily she said, "I can confidently say I've mastered the first stances, I've just begun the second." She said with a smile.

Sasuke grunted, "I was wrong about the sealing array. I had to start again to accommodate for my mistake." He said.

Naruto lifted a balloon in the air and held it between his two hands, the balloon became bumpy for a moment before exploding violently, "What's stage two sensei?" he asked with a confident smirk.

Jiraiya balked at Naruto, "You got the first stage after only a day of practical training?!" he rhetorically asked in surprise.

Naruto's smirk widened into a huge grin, "Yep! But I have to use two hands, It's just hard to spin that many strings in a single direction at once!" he announced.

Jiraiya paused in his shock, "Did you say a single direction?" he asked.

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, why?"

Jiraiya chuckled, "I know why you're finding it so hard, you're focussing on this 'single direction' stuff, when in actual fact it's meant to be in multiple directions at once." Jiraiya explained.

Naruto frowned, "But shouldn't that be harder?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya shook his head, "Not necessarily, because for you to have busted the balloon by only spinning the chakra in one direction, you would have been using more than three times the necessary amount of chakra strings. Also, for the second step you need maximum power output, you can't do that unless you're spinning in more than one direction." He explained.

Naruto picked up another balloon, in between his two hands "Okay, so multiple directions, less strings." He mumbled as he began practicing again.

Jiraiya walked over to Sakura and watched her complete her first training in the second kata, "Looks like a good start, but I want to see you do the first set again. I will tell you if you've mastered it." Jiraiya said with a nod.

She nodded and stood in her first stance, similar to Rock Lee's stance but instead of having a hand behind her back, she had it crossing over her torso towards her opposite hip, her other hand was held parallel to her chest and her fingers pointed out as a claw. She began the Kata.

Jiraiya watched her steps and the flows between each position, 'Very good, but she seems to hesitate before using the jumping manoeuvres, I wonder why.' He thought.

Sakura landed in the final stance, spinning to a stop with a reverse kick and an upwards swipe of her 'claw'. "So how'd I do sensei?" she asked while panting.

"Very good, I'm amazed at the rate your learning this new style, although I am curious about something." Jiraiya said.

Sakura raised a brow, "What is it?" she asked.

"Before moving into the air strike stances and the jumping swoop kick, I noticed you hesitate. Is there a reason you feel uncomfortable with those manoeuvres?" he asked.

She frowned lightly before nodding, "Yeah, I don't feel comfortable leaving the ground." She muttered.

Jiraiya nodded, "Thought so, it's because you rely on your speed across the ground. There is nothing for you to push off in the air." He said.

Sakura blushed as Jiraiya read her like a book, "Umm, yeah." She muttered.

Jiraiya smiled, "That's alright, the first of the more advanced techniques in the Flash Combinations will solve that problem quickly. Once you master the second stances to the same level you've mastered the first, then I'll let you learn the first Flash combo. It'll make it easier, alright?" he explained with a grin.

She grinned in return, "Sounds great sensei!" she said before returning to her training with much vigour.

Jiraiya chuckled at her enthusiasm before turning to Sasuke, he crouched next to Sasuke and looked over the many different components that he had deciphered from the original seal, "Well aren't you hard at work." Jiraiya said.

Sasuke nodded, "Yeah, the one tiny mistake I made at the beginning was overlooking what I thought was a single advanced sealing array, I discovered when I looked over it again that it was seventy two basic seals connected on a reverse summoning seal. Therefore, I can deduce that it is a high powered reverse summoning accompanied by instant transmission and a clarity filter for the movement as well as something for the flash and a whole bunch of other random things." Sasuke said without skipping a beat with his brush.

Jiraiya chuckled as he looked over the notes, "Kid, you truly are amazing." He said as he stood back up straight.

Jiraiya went back over to the bags he brought and opened one; it had four bento boxes in it. "Break time guys, come have some dinner." He said as he placed the boxes in front of him.

The three Chunnin sat by their sensei and the four talked about their techniques and the plan for convincing Tsunade to join the leaf village…

##################################################

It was the morning of the day Jiraiya expected Tsunade to arrive in town.

The training progressed extremely well for Sakura and Naruto, and although Sasuke now understood each individual seal, he was making no progress to actually learning the technique.

Sakura has perfected the first four katas from the Hummingbird Taijutsu scroll and she is capable of using the first two of the Flash combos.

The first of the combos teaches how to focus chakra through a person's body so they can 'Chakra Hop'. This is a technique that with the right level of control, a person can actually push off of the air as if it was solid ground. Knowing this technique gave Sakura much confidence and a whole new spectrum of Taijutsu tricks.

The second technique taught her how to use the 'Streak'. This technique was similar to her skating technique, but it's concentrated into a single thrust of chakra that slides a person forward up to ten metres in the blink of an eye. It was Sakura's new go-to move.

Naruto managed to complete the first stage after only three tries once he had heard Jiraiya's advice. He managed to do the second step with both hands before he tried to return to the first step and perfect it properly. He could now do the first and second stages of learning the rasengan one handed, and he was almost done mastering the jutsu with two hands.

Sasuke had dismantled the Hirashin sealing array into its basic seals, which Jiraiya had estimated to be around fifty. But Sasuke soon discovered that Jiraiya was wrong, he managed to take the seal to it's most basic levels and counted a total of one-hundred and eighty-two seals interconnected to form the result.

Jiraiya called for a meeting at midday at the local ramen bar…

#########################################

Jiraiya swallowed his mouthful of noodles and turned to his team of Chunnin, "Alright guys, as you know we expect for Tsunade to be arriving today at some point, and if I know Tsunade like I think I do, the first thing she'll want is a strong drink." Jiraiya said with a smirk.

Naruto paused between bowls and raised a brow, "Y'know, Aniki and I could find her the second she arrives." He said.

Jiraiya scoffed, "And how are you gonna do that?" he asked sarcastically, "You don't even know which gate she'll be entering from."

Naruto smiled as he was passed his fifth bowl, "I can carry Sasuke up high enough to see all three entrance gates, and even though he may not be able to see any specific faces from the height, with his Sharingan he could easily see chakra signatures, ain't that right?" Naruto said turning towards his brother.

Sasuke just nodded as he continued to eat his meal.

Jiraiya nodded with a frown, "Okay, I guess that'll work. But remember to wait for me before trying to talk to her, alright?" he asked.

Sasuke nodded, "Obviously." He said as he rolled his eyes.

Jiraiya smiled, "When you finish that bowl you two better get started, if we're unlucky then she might already be here and we'll have to find her the old fashioned way." He said with a chuckle.

Naruto quickly downed the contents of his bowl and stood with a burp, "Thanks for the meal old man!" Naruto yelled to the old chef, who smiled and waved.

"Come back anytime!"

Sasuke stood as well and activated one of his many anti-gravity seals, "Let's go Otouto." he said.

Sasuke wrapped his chain around the handle of Naruto's sword and Naruto lifted into the air, lifting the feather light Sasuke along with him, Sasuke looked down, "Sakura-chan, I'll activate my new pulse seal to notify you when we find her, so keep it with you." He said as the duo rose above the buildings and high into the air.

Naruto stopped when they were above triple the height of all the buildings in the town, "Can you see all the gates Aniki?" Naruto asked as he looked down.

Sasuke was sitting on the weight of his weapon, using it as a makeshift chair, he activated his Sharingan, "Yeah I can see the people walking through the gates, you know anything that might give me a clue as to what her chakra signature is like?" Sasuke asked as the two hovered.

Naruto frowned, "Umm, well she's the granddaughter of the Shodaime, so her chakra should have a relative frequency to what mine looks like when I use wood style jutsu." Naruto said, sounding confused as to what he just said.

Sasuke looked up with a raised brow, "Where'd that explanation come from?" he asked.

Naruto grinned foxily, "My inbuilt team of specialists." He said cheekily.

Sasuke looked back to the gates and kept watch, "We could be here for a while." He said.

Naruto nodded and pulled out a balloon, he blew it up and held it in his hand, "In that case I'm gonna practice my control." Naruto said as he tried to complete step three of the Rasengan in his two hands.

##############################################

Sasuke swung lightly as he saw two chakra signatures enter through the eastern gate, two hours later than Jiraiya estimated, "I think I found her Naruto." He said as he maximised his sight.

By straining his Sharingan, Sasuke could see that the chakra signatures came from someone with similar chakra to Naruto's wood chakra, and a person who was obviously leaning towards medical ninja status because of the healing chakra in her system.

Naruto stopped messing with his training, dropping the remains of the fifteenth balloon he had accidentally exploded with only one hand. "Well let's go say hi!" Naruto said with a cheer as he began to slowly float towards the gate.

Sasuke sighed and activated his pulse seal, thus the seal Sakura held echoed the pulse. "She'll know we found Tsunade now." he said as he was towed along towards the Medical sannin.

##################################################

Jiraiya swung a punch at the airborne Sakura's unprotected back, she used her chakra to instinctively 'hop' higher into the air.

She turned and hopped again, this time pushing towards him, she began swiping with a claw.

Jiraiya barely ducked under the swipe and leapt back as he felt a small pulse of chakra that wasn't Sakura's. "Is that the tag?" he asked.

Sakura landed and pulled the tag out of her pouch, it was lighting up blue in the bottom right corner. "Yep, by the looks of it Tsunade is entering from the east gate." She said as she turned to catch the two teammates of hers.

Jiraiya followed thinking, 'I wonder why she took so long, knowing Tsunade it would only be if either a debt collector found her or someone stopped her… who would try to stop and angry overpowered drunk woman?' Jiraiya frowned in thought as the two high tailed it to Sasuke's position.

#################################################

Naruto and Sasuke sat on top of a building stealthily, they were observing Tsunade and her apprentice while waiting for Jiraiya and Sakura. "Why can't we just talk to her aniki?" Naruto said for the hundredth time.

Sasuke sighed, "Because sensei told us not to draw her attention to us," he then saw the woman pause in her walking and look directly at the sign they were hiding behind, "then again it might be a moot point." He said as he stood up into direct sight.

Tsunade looked at him while her assisted looked in the general direction, trying to find what she was looking at. Sasuke bowed in respect to show he was no threat as Naruto stepped out next to him and waved.

Tsunade stood, observing the two for a moment, she then waved them down with a 'come here', gesture.

Sasuke smirked, "She is amazing, I can't believe she sensed us from this distance." He muttered.

Naruto blinked, "Can we go now?" he asked with a smile.

Sasuke just grunted an affirmation and leapt off of the roof and began a short jog to the sannin's position, Naruto hovered down next to him and followed.

The two stopped in front of Tsunade and bowed in respect, "Tsunade-sama, Good afternoon." Sasuke said.

Tsunade raised a brow, "Well you're quite polite for such a young one, what do you want?" she asked as she turned to them with a frown, 'Why are leaf ninjas trying to track me? Does it have anything to do with Orochimaru's offer?' she thought.

Naruto crouched in midair, shocking the two medics, "Ero-sensei wanted us to find you so that he could talk to ya, and Hokage-Jiji says hi by the way." Naruto said with a smile.

Tsunade raised a brow at Naruto's behaviour and words, Sasuke clarified, "We call our temporary sensei and team leader Ero-sensei due to his overly perverse personality. He is your old teammate, Jiraiya. Naruto is close to the Sandaime so he refers to him as 'Jiji'."

Tsunade nodded slowly, "Ok, since when does Jiraiya teach a gennin team?" she asked.

Naruto frowned and then a voice from behind Tsunade answers, "I'd never teach a gennin team, but the strongest Rookie Chunnin squad to have existed in the last fifty years? I'm totally gonna want to have a go training them." Jiraiya said as he walked up to stand by Tsunade, with Sakura who stood next to her team, "It's good to see you Tsu-hime." He said with a wink as he placed an arm around her shoulder.

Tsunade frowned and elbowed Jiraiya 'lightly' in the stomach, he was pushed back ten metres with a grunt. "I told you no. Not until you've promised me what I want." She said as she turned to face the bent over Jiraiya.

He pulled himself to his feet, wincing at the blow he muttered in a bad impersonation of Tsunade's voice "Good to see you too Jiraiya, how are you? Wanna buy me a drink since you obviously want to talk to me?"

At the mention of 'drink' Tsunade turned to him with a smile, "Great to see you Jiraiya! Let's get that drink!" she said as she hooked her arm with his and began to tow him to the nearest dinner parlour, Squad seven and her apprentice following after them.

The apprentice turned to the trio, "Umm, hi my name is Shizune. I'm Tsunade-sama's apprentice in medical arts, and this is Tonton," she said with a squeeze of the little piglet in her arms.

Sakura introduced the team, "My name is Sakura, and this is Naruto and Sasuke." She said with a gesture to the floating Naruto and Sasuke.

Shizune smiled, "It's nice to meet you all." She said brightly.

The four entered the parlour and sat down in the booth Jiraiya and Tsunade were occupying. Shizune and Sakura sat on one side with Tsunade and Sasuke and Naruto sat on the other with Jiraiya.

"…expected you to be here a few hours ago, was there a hold up? Or have you just gotten slower?" Jiraiya said with a smirk as everyone sat down.

Tsunade had almost no outward reaction to Jiraiya's words, but with Sasuke's Sharingan he saw the tightening of her muscles under her skin. Shizune outwardly gasped before pretending she saw something behind them that shocked her.

Jiraiya instantly turned serious, "So something or someone did catch you, may I ask who it was?"

Tsunade sighed, "Another debt collector." She said with a big frown.

If Jiraiya could tell she was lying, he didn't show it. He busted into laughter, "Only you would be so disgruntled about doing the right thing!" he said.

A waitress came to their booth, "Good evening everyone, can I interest you in any drinks?" she asked.

Tsunade went to order when Jiraiya placed a hand on hers, silencing her, " Get us six bottles of your finest sake, and six saucers please." He said as he handed the waitress a handful of notes.

She spluttered, "Um I'm not allowed to serve to those under age," she said glancing at the three teens.

Sasuke smirked and looked into her eyes with his Sharingan, using basic hypnosis he muttered, "It is alright, we are ninja. You are allowed to serve us this once." He spoke a soothing low voice.

The waitress nodded, "Yeah, I am allowed. Just this once." She muttered before writing the order down and walking away.

Jiraiya smirked, "You shouldn't hypnotize people unless they deserve it Sasuke." He said with a chuckle.

Tsunade smiled, "You've got a wild bunch Jiraiya," she said before sighing, "So, what is it you need to talk to me about?" she said, knowing it was inevitable.

Jiraiya nodded, "There are a few things actually. Firstly, Orochimaru attacked the leaf village during the Chunnin exams.

Shizune tried to fake shock at the same time Tsunade nodded, "I know." The two looked at each other, now knowing that on some level their cover was blown.

Once again, Jiraiya had no reaction, "Secondly, we need your medical expertise, so many ninjas were injured on extreme levels. Naruto, tell her about your girl." Jiraiya said.

Naruto nodded and pulled out a picture Shino had given him on the night of the dinner. It was the picture he took of Naruto and Hinata sleeping in a cuddled position in the Forest of Death tower. "This is my Hinata-chan, we were just becoming closer as friends when her spine was damaged. She can't walk, her dream of being the hyuuga heiress is taken from her. I will stay by her even if you don't help, but I can't heal her and I know that is one thing she truly wants at this point in life," Naruto paused as tears came to his eye and he looked at the picture himself, "it hurts, it hurts so much that I can't give her the one thing she needs." He held the picture to his chest and stared Tsunade in the eye, "if there is any chance you can heal her, I will take you there to do so. By force if I have to." Naruto promised.

Tsunade saw the pain in Naruto's heart through his eyes, "That is something I can understand, doing absolutely anything to see the one you love again, happy and standing by your side."

Jiraiya and Sakura were happy at the thought of them winning over Tsunade, but Sasuke saw with his Sharingan that something was wrong, and judging by Shizune's scared look, he was right.

The waitress appeared and noticed the serious atmosphere, "I'll leave this here." She said quietly as she placed down the ordered drinks.

Tsunade nodded, "thanks," she waited til they were alone again then turned to Naruto, "I will come heal her, give me a week and I promise I will heal her Naruto." Tsunade said as she reached over the table and held his shaking hand.

Naruto held his sobs in, but the tears flowed, "Arigatou, Tsunade-baachan." He said with a watery smile.

Tsunade was annoyed by his choice of words and was about to reprimand him for what he called her when Jiraiya's voice began. "Don't be offended Tsu-hime, these three show their care for someone through their use of familial terms. The fact that Naruto already speaks of you as family after barely knowing you means a lot." He whispered quietly.

Tsunade still frowned, "What about his actual family? I doubt they'd like him calling other people his mum and dad."

Naruto couldn't hold back his sadness in the already depressed state he was in, and the tears began to flood. Sasuke held him in a hug, "Sakura, help me with him." He ordered as Sasuke pulled Naruto onto his feet and the two escorted him out.

Tsunade watched with tears in her eyes at the pain Naruto held on his face that she got a glimpse of, "Wha-what just…?" her question trailed off as Sasuke stormed back towards the table as Sakura and Naruto left.

Sasuke slammed his hands on the table and glared at Tsunade with his Sharingan burning into her, "If we didn't need you, I'd kill you for hurting my Otouto." He said heatedly as his killing intent poured over the dinner parlour.

Jiraiya placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder and forcefully suppressed the killing intent with his chakra, "Stop Sasuke, she didn't know. I haven't even been able to tell her all the news yet, take some sake, he might want it." Jiraiya ordered.

Sasuke took a few deep breaths to calm himself, "Sorry sensei," he murmured before grabbing two off the six sake bottles and turning away, "We'll be at the hotel, trying to put him back together." Sasuke said as he left.

Shizune turned to her master, "May I please go check on them? He seemed really hurt." She asked hopefully.

Tsunade nodded, "By all means, take Sakura's bottle with you." Tsunade said with a frown.

Shizune grabbed her own bottle and Sakura's and left quickly with a bow, running to catch up to the Chunnin squad.

The two sannin sat in silence for a few minutes, Tsunade thinking over what just happened, and Jiraiya counting down the minutes in his head before he knew Naruto would be focussed again.

Tsunade broke the silence and turned back to Jiraiya, "I don't understand, what did I say?"

Jiraiya looked at Tsunade with a small frown, "Do you know what his name is?" Jiraiya asked.

Tsunade nodded and looked at Jiraiya confused, "he introduced himself as Naruto," she said.

Jiraiya nodded, "Naruto Uzumaki." Jiraiya said.

Tsunade froze and stared at her bottle of sake, "He's Minato's boy." She said with quiet realisation.

Jiraiya nodded, "He's finally found love in his life, a real family." Jiraiya said quietly.

Tsunade stood, angry and confused, "Don't you get it?! if he's Kushina and Minato's child then he IS my grandson!" Tsunade yelled with tears in her eyes.

Jiraiya nodded, a confused and disappointed look on his face, "Yeah, and you left him in the leaf when he was a baby, all alone." Jiraiya said with a frown.

Tsunade's face was angered, "Jiraiya," she said oddly quiet. "Is there any chance that you are lying?" she said.

Jiraiya looked at her sceptically, "What? No, that was Naruto Uzumaki, your grandson thanks to Minato. What's with the questions and the anger?" he asked, obviously confused.

Tsunade took a chug from her bottle of sake before walking out, "The council told me he died in the sealing, I have to see him." She said with tears in her eyes as she walked out.

Jiraiya sat in shock, 'the council…?' he thought in confusion before grabbing the left over drinks and running out after her, "Tsunade, the hotel is this way!" he yelled. Tsunade nodded before running up to him, the two walked at a fast pace to the hotel at the same time the Naruto squad and Shizune sat in his and Sasuke's room.

#########################################

Naruto lay with his head resting on Sakura's lap, "It's okay Naru-nii, remember what we talked about? They'll never truly leave you, Minato-sama is always present." She said as she rubbed his head.

Sasuke sat next to Naruto and patted the journal, which Naruto was holding to his chest, "She's right, as long as you have his journal; you have a link to him." Sasuke said comfortingly.

Shizune sat on the bed next to the three, "Tsunade-sama didn't mean to be harsh or hurtful, you know that right Naruto?"

Naruto just nodded quietly as his tears finally subsided, "I know, I shouldn't have broken down like that. I'm such a moron." He said as he tried to sit up.

Sakura pulled him back down and continued massaging his head, now sending medical chakra to her hand and began simulating relaxation. "Rest Naruto, have a sleep."

Naruto knew what she was doing, and just nodded, "'Kay Nee-chan." He mumbled as he drifted into a light sleep.

The other three sat in silence for a moment as Sakura pushed Naruto further into sleep, he was now so far out of it, it would take a punch to the face to wake him up.

Shizune sighed, "I'm sorry for what happened, could you tell me what happened to his parents so that I may understand?"

Sasuke nodded and took the journal from Naruto's grasp. "His name is Naruto Uzumaki, his birth was on the day of the Kyuubi attack." Sasuke said.

Recognition came to shizune's face, "So, he's Minato-kun's boy? He's my second cousin?" she said in shock, revealing her relation to Naruto.

Sakura took her hands away from Naruto's face. "His what?!" she said wide eyed as Sasuke stared at Shizune along with her.

Shizune blinked in shock at their reaction, "Oh, umm I thought he was Kushina and Minato's son. Minato was my cousin since Tsunade was my aunt-in law" Shizune explained.

Sasuke quickly pieced together what she was saying, "So, Tsunade was Minato-sama's Mother?" he asked.

Shizune nodded, "I have a feeling you didn't know that then…" she mumbled as the three sat in silence.

The room's door opened, revealing a teary Tsunade and a confused Jiraiya.

Tsunade walked to the end of Naruto's bed, watching him sleep.

Jiraiya coughed, gaining the attention of the others, "Will you three come with me outside? I have some things to explain." Jiraiya said.

The four of them left the room, leaving Tsunade to stare at the sleeping Naruto in awe, "Little Naru-chan," she muttered as she came to accept who he was.

Naruto's face formed a scared look in his sleep and he rolled onto his side, muttering things and breathing heavily as though he was having a nightmare.

Tsunade walked over and sat next to him on the bed and patted his forehead, his muttering stopped but he still frowned as he rolled back to the middle of the bed.

Tsunade sat with her back to the headboard and hugged Naruto to her side; he took a deep breath before calming in his sleep. She smiled as she watched his peaceful face.

Tsunade sat in silence and stroked circles on her lost grandson's back, "I'll never leave you again," she muttered quietly.

#################################################

It was midnight when Jiraiya finished his explanation of what Tsunade told him and what he personally thought. The four of them stayed in Jiraiya's room that night so that Tsunade and Naruto could rest. Tomorrow is another day after all.

################################################

Chapter end.

Thanx for reading again everyone! Just wanted to tell you a little about the future of part one of this story.

The major stepping stones in the story line are as follows once the search for Tsunade arc follows. I won't give too much information.

Establishing Uzumaki clan,  
Naruto's first mission as chunnin leader: Idate's racing mission,  
Sasuke get's first mission as Chunnin: Solo mission, City defence.  
Sakura's first mission as team leader: Leading Shikamaru and Lee on a mission.  
At the time as ^that^: Snow Mission.  
Sound Five Appears  
3 Year training trip: End of Part 1 of my 3 part story.

And as an end note i plan to be updating every Sunday at the minimum.

R&R!


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter twenty two: Grandma Hokage! Orochimaru returns!

Jiraiya, Shizune, Sasuke and Sakura sat in the cafeteria on the bottom floor of the hotel sharing a slightly uncomfortable breakfast.

Sakura tried to break the silence, "So, when are we going to get back to training sensei?" she asked.

Jiraiya finished with mouthful and smiled, "You guys can continues if you want, in fact, since you've learnt almost all of those Taijutsu techniques. I'll make you a deal if Shizune will agree?" he said winking at Shizune and the end of his speech.

Shizune blinked as she placed her glass down, "Umm, ok?" she said as if unsure.

Jiraiya grinned, "It's agreed then, Sakura, you will learn some more medical jutsu other than the basic three you already know." Jiraiya said as he got back to his meal.

Sakura blinked before smiling, "Well, alright I guess." She said seemingly excited.

Sasuke paused eating his food and tilted his head slightly, all morning he had been staring blankly with his slowly revolving Sharingan, "I think I got it." he muttered.

Jiraiya was the only one who heard his mumble, "Hm? Did you say something Sasuke?" he asked.

Sasuke stood from the table, "Sensei, I think I worked out the formula." Sasuke said as he placed the Hirashin kunai on the table, "Hopefully, I'll be right back." Sasuke said as he ran out of the cafeteria, supposedly back up to the hotel room.

Jiraiya blinked as he picked up the kunai by the blade, he stared at it seriously, 'There's no way he could've gotten this, I've been studying it for years and I haven't made progress.' Jiraiya thought.

Shizune and Sakura sat talking for the next five minutes while Jiraiya stared at the kunai. A white flash occurred and suddenly, Sasuke was laying on his back next to the table, hand grasped around the kunai.

Jiraiya looked down at Sasuke in shock, he had burns all over his nearly naked body as well as some cuts but he smirked weakly, "I know…how it…works.." he wheezed out before falling unconscious.

Shizune was sitting by his side in a second and Sakura had her hands over his head, Shizune gasped, "Literally every piece of tissue in his body has friction burns! And he's almost completely out of chakra!" she said in shock before pulling away and forming hand signs, her hands began to glow a dark blue, she placed them on Sasuke's chest and very slowly, the burns started to fade. "Since I assume he'll keep attempting this jutsu, I'll teach you this first Sakura." Shizune said as she continued healing the burns.

Jiraiya just stared at the unconscious boy with a smile on his face, 'Amazing." Jiraiya thought as his smile turned to a grin.

Jiraiya turned as a gasp came from behind him, Tsunade stood at the bottom of the stairs with Naruto right next to her.

They ran over and Tsunade made the same hand seals as Shizune had, "Even his organs!" she gasped as she got to work on double checking Shizune's work as Shizune had started repairing the major organs of his body. Sakura just held her green glowing hands to Sasuke's head, regulating some of her chakra into his system via the small chakra pools underneath his temples.

Naruto stood behind his grandmother, "Will Aniki be alright Baachan?" Naruto asked.

Tsunade nodded, "Yeah, but he won't be up for two days at best. Whatever he did, it's like it tore him apart then rubbed his entire being against itself." She said as she began to de-frictionize his brain.

Jiraiya took another mouthful of rice, "Rubbing… so maybe it had something to do with meloculisation?" he pondered.

Naruto asked, "Molecy-what?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya nodded, "The rubbing is what made the friction burns, but for it to literally be present of every single part of his being brings into question. What if he completely turned himself to matter then reformed at a literally untraceable speed, but something is wrong, like his body was forcibly dragged through instead of the easy flow that Minato told me he felt…" Jiraiya pondered as he finished his meal.

Naruto just blinked in confusion, "What?" he asked.

Their attention was taken when Tsunade stood, "Alright, everything on the inside is mostly better, so let's move him back to his room," Sakura grabbed an anti-gravity seal, "No more seals, do it the old fashioned way." She ordered.

Jiraiya stood, "I got it." he said as he picked Sasuke up and threw him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and walked away, Shizune following close behind.

Tsunade sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, "He has the finesse of a boar." She said as she sat in jiraiya's previous seat and ate his food, not bothering to buy more.

Naruto did the same for Sasuke's food as Sakura sat next to Naruto, "So, umm how was the night you guys? And I guess this morning." She said as she glanced at the clock, noticing it was eleven am.

Tsunade and Naruto grinned at her, it was eerily similar, "I woke up at about two am, I got a little freaked out when I looked up to see Baa-chan's huge knockers in my face, so i-" Tsunade stuffed a glob of rice in his wide mouth to shut him up.

"I had to calm him down, but once I did, I spent an hour apologising to him about what I said, then we talked about Minato-kun's journal. I'm gonna give Naruto-chan the other two from when he was a kid and through to when he completed his first mission as a Tokubetsu Jonin." She explained with a small grin.

Naruto had swallowed the food by now and picked up the story, "Then I asked Baa-chan how she knew my father and, well she told me the truth," Naruto paused and shared a smile with his grandmother, "I was angry at first, but she explained to me what she was told by those council assholes," his fists clenched angrily when he spoke of the council, "and I forgave her. I mean, what else am I gonna do? She's family." Naruto finished with a real smile that Tsunade returned.

Sakura couldn't help herself, she grabbed Naruto's hand and looked down sadly, "So, now that you have a real family, I guess you don't need us anymore?" Sakura asked sadly.

Naruto looked stunned as he pulled his hand away, making Sakura fear the worst, when he pulled her into a hug, "Nee-chan, you are my real family! So what if we don't have the same blood?!" he said with a huge smile that Sakura soon mirrored.

Tsunade looked on with a smile, 'Sasuke is definitely a lucky guy, I wonder what Hinata is like? I don't want an evil girl to become part of the family.' Thinking of her family, Tsunade was reminded of Orochimaru's offer.

She frowned, 'I would've said yes in an instant before, but I have family again now…and Jiraiya-kun…' she trailed off on the thought before refocussing when some bacon was shoved in her mouth courtesy of Sakura's chopsticks.

"Earth to Baa-chan! Naru-nii asked you a question." She said with a smile.

Tsunade blinked in shock, 'If she wasn't Naruto-chan's sister I would strangle her.' Tsunade thought as she chewed through the food and swallowed, "What is it Naruto-chan?"

Naruto spoke up, "Did my dad ever talk to you about his special jutsus?" he asked.

Tsunade shook her head in the negative, "By the time Minato-kun created his fighting self, he was already moved out, I only got to see him on the weekends as most of his break times between missions were when I was working at the hospital, or out on SS-rank missions with Jiraiya and Orochimaru." She spat the snake's name with spite, before taking a sip of water.

Naruto hmmm'd "Okay, last question; do you think you and Ero-sensei will hook up?" he asked.

Tsunade spat the water she was drinking out in shock, it was about to hit Naruto's face but it hit the empty paper plate Sakura whipped up in a flash.

Tsunade coughed as Naruto spoke, "Thanks Nee-chan!" he said with a smile.

Tsunade got over her coughing fit, "What the hell ya little brat?! What gave you that idea?!" she nearly yelled.

Naruto was about to reply when one of the four cafeteria attendants approached them, "Umm, I'm sorry to interrupt, but we must ask you to vacate as we have to prepare for the lunch crowd." He said nervously.

Tsunade got over her anger and nodded, "Right, sorry, we'll be on our way now." She said as she stood and walked past the two Chunnin, grabbing their ears along the way.

"OW! BAA-CHAAN!" Naruto and Sakura yelled in unison before complaining in gibberish as they were towed along.

###########################################

Sasuke leant against the headboard of his bed, many of his burns were still visible and he was obviously tired, but he kept writing on a new set of tag sheets, his smile increasing.

Jiraiya stood frustrated, "For Log's sake Sasuke! How did you do it? what did you figure out?!" Jiraiya yelled.

Sasuke glanced at him, then he went back to his work muttering, "It wouldn't be much of a secret technique if I told you about it sensei."

Jiraiya stomped his foot, "As your sensei I order you to tell me!" he yelled.

Sasuke smirked before continuing his work in silence. "DAMMIT SASUKE I SWEAR I-"

"DON'T YELL AT MY PATIENT!" Shizune yelled as she showed some her sensei's anger and punched Jiraiya out into the hallway, straight through the closed door.

Sasuke blinked in shock at Shizune's actions before she turned to him, "Now Sasuke, you're going to rest. No more sealing alright?" she said with a sickly sweet fake smile.

Sasuke gulped in fear as he nodded, "S-sure Shizune." He murmured.

Shizune smiled for real and put all of Sasuke's sealing items on his bedside table, "Good Sasuke." She said as she patted his head and sat down in a nearby chair.

Sasuke sighed and slowly lay back, wincing as he did so, 'I wonder what Otouto and Sakura-chan are up to, and what the heck is it with this blood seal?' He thought as he looked out the window, grasping the seventy-fourth portion of the seal in his fist.

################################

"So, why is it that Jiraiya calls you three such an amazing Chunnin team?" Tsunade asked as she her, Naruto and Sakura walked towards the clearing they team had been using.

Naruto smirked, "Cause with my Power and Kenjutsu, Sakura's speed and brains, and Sasuke's seal work and Sharingan, we probably are the strongest Chunnin trio, other than those currently going for the Jonin exams." Naruto bragged.

Tsunade raised a brow, "Power? Speed? I don't think you two could be THAT great at Taijutsu." Tsunade said.

Naruto froze as Sakura turned her head slowly, glaring at Tsunade, "You think you're faster than me?" she asked with a twitching brow.

Tsunade laughed, "Um, yeah. No matter how fast you are, I'm a sannin. I am simply better." She said overconfidently.

Sakura stood in front of Tsunade, "I challenge you to a race around this whole town Baa-chan!" Sakura demanded.

Tsunade laughed, "Hahaha! Sure thing Sakura-chan, I hope I don't beat you by too much. Rules?" she asked.

Sakura grinned and activated Radical Good Speed, "Anything goes." She nearly growled.

Tsunade raised a brow at the up-grade, "Nice boots, you really think they'll help?" she taunted.

Sakura bounced on her feet, "I probably won't need them, but it doesn't hurt to bury a sannin in my dust." She said as she took a sprinter's starting position.

Naruto stood in front of the two, "Alright, I guess I'll tell you guys when to start. Three laps around the town, Nee-chan please go easy on her." He said.

Tsunade frowned as Sakura grinned, "No promises." She said.

Naruto counted down, "Three, Two, One, GO!" he yelled.

The two disappeared in a dust cloud, Tsunade launched every single step with her adamantine power, so she was able to lap the entire town in less than forty seconds.

Unfortunately for her, Sakura finished all three laps in the same amount of time.

Tsunade stopped after the first lap, her mouth wide open in shock, "How the hell?" she asked.

Sakura chuckled, "Noone can beat me in a contest of speed. Just like Naruto with strength." She said confidently.

Tsunade panted, 'I must be out of shape,' she thought as she walked over to a flat rock. "Let's see about that, Naru-chan, arm wrestle?" she offered with a smile.

Naruto nodded happily, "Okay Baa-chan!" he said as he hovered over to the rock.

Tsunade and Naruto held the other's hand in the classic arm wrestling pose.

It was Sakura's turn to proctor, "Three, Two, One, GO!" she yelled.

Naruto tensed his arm to see if he could hold off Tsunade's legendary strength, he discovered after waiting for a few seconds that Hashirama's physical adamantine strength was too much even for Tsunade, as the woman frowned as she pushed against Naruto's nearly steady hand.

He smirked a little and with only a little trouble, slammed her hand through the stone in victory. "Too easy Baa-chan." He said with a chuckle.

Tsunade stood in shock, "What the hell?! I'm a sannin! How can I lose to some chunnins?!" she yelled.

Sakura easily spotted the problem, "Obviously, it's because you've let the title of sannin go to your head. It's just a title, and titles don't mean anything in a life or death situation." She said.

Tsunade's brow twitched, "…I knew that." She said stubbornly.

She then sighed, "How is it that you two are so powerful?" she asked.

Sakura smiled, "I was just lucky really, I found Radical Good Speed and we bonded. Without it I probably wouldn't have found my niche in the ninja world for a long time." She said.

Naruto nodded and hesitated, "Well, when I first became a gennin, a traitor of the village tricked me into stealing the forbidden scroll. I get my strength from a technique I learnt from that." Naruto explained timidly.

Tsunade raised a brow at Naruto's behaviour, "What jutsu is that Naru-chan?" she asked.

After scowling at the nickname, name sighed. "The forbidden Ninja Art: …Soul Drain." He said.

Tsunade's eye widened, "You managed to learn that jutsu?! Who have you absorbed then?" she asked.

Naruto smiled as he realised Tsunade wouldn't hate him for essentially eating people, "I got a fair few people." He said.

Tsunade smirked at his evasiveness, "Well, anyone important?" she asked.

Naruto held up his arm sleeves and pulled them off, causing Tsunade to gasp as she saw his fully equipped arm gauntlet.

Sakura nudged Naruto, "Tell her everyone in order." She said with a smile.

Naruto picked up the idea as Naruto whipped out one of his giant shuriken, "The B-ranked traitor, Mizuki of the Leaf."

He sealed the shuriken, and drew his Hidden bone blade, "Prisoner, Naomi Kaguya of the land of Water."

As the bone withdrew into Naruto's left arm, he unsheathed his sword with his right, "A-ranked missing nin, Zabuza Momochi of the Mist"

He stabbed the sword into the ground next to him and hovered into the air, "High-Level Gennin, Zaku Abumi of the sound."

His fangs and claws suddenly grew, "Ninja hound of the Inuzuka, Akamaru."

His tongue shot out and he lifted and re-sheathed his sword with it as he showed off his summoning tattoo, "Partial soul of Orochimaru from the cursed seal from Anko Mitarashi."

Naruto placed one hand on the ground, "And last but not least," he said as he held a single handed sign, causing a tree to form underneath him and the other two, they rose into the air as Tsunade stared absolutely shocked, "The revived Shodaime of Konoha, Hashirama Senju." He finished.

Tsunade stared t Naruto in shock as she saw the genetics of her bloodline come to life, "Grampa's justu?" she muttered as she sat on the now full sized tree.

Naruto nodded in excitement, hoping she'd be happy. He wasn't disappointed.

Tsunade held Naruto and Sakura in a huge hug, it cracked their backs with her strength.

This is how Jiraiya found them, "Naruto, I see you've shown her everything?" he said with a small smile.

Naruto nodded as he was released from the death hug, "Yeah sensei I did, how's aniki?" he asked.

Jiraiya smiled, "He's on the road to recovery, but it'll take a week for his to get his chakra back at best, and probably a few more days to fully recover from everything getting fried like that." He confirmed before turning to Tsunade, "There is one more thing I need to tell you about, since I wasn't able to the other night…"

Tsunade raised a brow, "What is it then Jiraiya?" she asked.

Jiraiya sighed, "As you know, sensei is old. He can't be Hokage anymore, and he's chosen his successor." He said.

Tsunade sighed as well, "He wants me right? That's the reason why you tracked me down." She guessed.

Jiraiya nodded, "You got it." he confirmed.

Tsunade sighed again, "Fine, as much as I don't want to," she glanced at Naruto and Sakura talking with smiles, "I have something I want to protect again, I almost forgot what that felt like…" she said. 'I guess I have to tell them now then..' she thought with another sigh.

Tsunade made a decision, "I need to tell you all something, it's about why I was late coming here." She said.

Jiraiya nodded, "Orochimaru approached you with an offer, something he can give you if you give him new arms. Am I close?" he said, completely serious.

Tsunade sat with her eyes wide, "How did you know?" she asked.

Jiraiya shrugged, "I'm a spy master, one of my contacts in the sound told me he was searching for you." He said.

Tsunade sighed, "I…I was going to accept, he was going to bring back some of my family, Dan and Niwaki," Jiraiya flinched at that, "But they shouldn't be disturbed from their eternal slumber, and besides," she gave Naruto a one armed hug and stared at Jiraiya with something more than just friendship, "I think I can move on with the help of my remaining family, and those that I could learn to love." She said with a soft.

Jiraiya almost cried at the implications of tsunade's words, "Tsu-hime, so you mean..?" he trailed off.

Tsunade smirked, "I'll let you figure it out spy master, now, I believe we have some very important battle plans to come up with." She said with a smile.

############################################

Three more days have passed; Sasuke was allowed to do theory seals, but no practical work yet, he discovered that the blood seal in the Hirashin was actually reactive to specific individual's blood. Naruto could do the rasengan perfectly with two hands and Sakura had all but mastered her katas.

The group met for another meeting in Sasuke and Naruto's room, Jiraiya started, "Alright everyone, we have until tomorrow at midday until Tsu-hime has to meet Orochimaru at the Tanzaku outer wall. Remember your parts in the plan?" he asked.

Everyone nodded except Sasuke who sat frowning, "I still think I wouldn't get in the way." He said as he sat, writing out another attempt at the fourth major sealing array out of the one-hundred and eighty two.

Tsunade placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, "If you move from this bed. I will hurt you so bad your clan will end with you. Know what I'm saying?" she said with the same evil smile she taught to Shizune.

Sasuke leant over sadly, "Hai, Baa-sama." He whined.

Tsunade smiled, she now enjoyed being called grandmother by the three students of squad seven.

Jiraiya clapped bringing everyone's attention back to him, "Alright, Sakura and Naruto. You two will come with me and together the three of us will come up with some combination moves for you two to use. I know as a trio you guys can take down a Jonin, barely. But I want to get you guys strong enough to do it as a duo or even by yourselves." He said as he stood.

Sasuke cut in, "Can I at least write some seals for you guys to use?" he asked.

Tsunade sighed, "Fine, but that's ALL you'll do." She ordered.

Sasuke nodded before grabbing his utensils, he quickly began writing seals.

Sakura and Naruto left with Jiraiya, "Cya later Aniki!" "By Sasuke-kun!" they yelled as they leapt out the window.

Sasuke glanced after them and sighed before getting back to his work.

Tsunade and Shizune walked out the door, planning to find a weapons store in the town so that everyone can stock up on ninja tools.

################################################

Tsunade stood, fumbling with the end of her jacket nervously, "Where is he..?" she mumbled to herself.

"I'm right here Tsunade."

Tsunade turned to see Orochimaru standing in front of her, his stumps seemed to be healed over, but he was sweating heavily.

Tsunade frowned at Orochimaru, "Where is my family?" she asked as if she was emotional.

Orochimaru smirked, "If you heal my arms I can get them for you." He said confidently.

Tsunade nodded and walked towards Orochimaru, holding her hands out, she made a large orb of chakra.

Orochimaru smiled wickedly and began walking towards her and his salvation.

*CLANG*

Orochimaru looked up and to his right to see a kunai and a small white oval thing falling to the ground as if they had collided, he looked at the medical curve of the kunai and frowned, 'Kabuto?' he thought.

*BLAM*

Orochimaru was completely blindsided by Tsunade's punch, he was launched through the wall and into the Tanzaku plains.

Orochimaru was caught by his medical assistant, "Orochimaru-sama! I'm sorry, I tried to warn you, that wasn't medical chakra she held." Kabuto said as he placed Orochimaru on his feet.

Orochimaru panted, "That is fine Kabuto, I cannot feel her punches anyway thanks to this body."

Tsunade landed in front of the two with Sakura and Shizune by her side, she held up a fist, "I will kill you where you stand!" she said, absolutely determined.

Orochimaru frowned, "Kabuto, call out the backup." He ordered.

Kabuto pulled out a whistle and blew hard, a few moments later, a tall blue haired woman jumped out from the town wall, a sound gennin team standing where she left from.

She stopped in front of Kabuto and Orochimaru, "Orochimaru-sama," she murmured, not looking away from the three women in front of her.

Orochimaru smiled, "Guren, handle the two younger girls. Kabuto, get Tsunade for me." He ordered.

The two sound Jonin nodded as the three Konoha ninja charged, Guren pushed her hands forward and to the shock of Shizune and Sakura, two huge crystals burst from the ground and knocked them away.

Tsunade threw a punch at Guren, who barely dodged and leapt towards Shizune.

Tsunade turned in confusion when she was kicked in the stomach by Kabuto and pushed a few meters back.

Tsunade paused as she glared at Kabuto and Orochimaru, "It's over!" she yelled as she punched the ground, knocking the two off balance as she charged forward.

###############################

Naruto stood on the wall of the town with a frown as he waited for his part in the plan, "Where the hell is Ero-sensei?" he said as he looked around again before turning back to the battles, he paused mid turn as he noticed the sound gennin.

Naruto smirked, "Well, at least I can have some fun while I wait." He said as he dropped down behind them.

###############################

Shizune was already injured by Guren's surprise attack, she had a long gash up her arms. Sakura would've had the same wound if her claws weren't active.

Guren threw a punch at Shizune which was dodged, Shizune returned with a low kick that bounced off of a piece of crystal Guren blocked with.

Guren attacked Shizune while she was off balance, earning herself a kick to the stomach from Sakura.

Guren was thrown back a couple of meters, and glared at Sakura. "Stupid kid! I'll kill you!" she yelled as she made a sword of crystal.

Sakura turned to see Shizune healing her arm and side, "I hold her off for a moment," Sakura said as she activated her boots.

Guren made armour of crystal and attacked Sakura, the two clashed in display of sparks.

Sakura would batter away anything Guren threw at her, but she couldn't get past her opponent's armour, "Fuck it!" she yelled as she dodged a slash and leapt back.

Guren smirked, "Your damn fast for a Chunnin, but you can't get past my armour!" Guren yelled.

Sakura stood in a low stance, the fifth stance of the hummingbird fighting style, "Come prove it then." Sakura taunted.

Guren smirked and charged with her crystal sword, "HAA!" she yelled.

Sakura dodged the downward swing and swung a kick at hard as she could, "FLASH STEP: SHOCKING FIRST BULLET!" she yelled as the kick impacted.

One second, she was there, the next second, she was embedded into the ground on the other side of the Tanzaku plains.

Sakura panted as Guren stood again, the only sign she did any damage was the spider-web crack on the chest of Guren's armour, "Wow, so this is the power of a fully fledged Jonin, I have to use my strongest attacks just to hurt them a little." She said with a frown.

Shizune was now fully healed and stood by Sakura's side, "Think it's time yet?" she asked.

Sakura was about to respond when they both heard a scream, they turned to see Kabuto standing with his sliced open hand hovering over Tsunade, she was curled up in a ball as the warm blood from his hand trickled down her face.

Shizune gasped, "No! Tsunade-sama's hemophobia!" she said.

Sakura had a 'Are-you-fucking-kidding-me' look on her face, "Seriously? She's meant to be the best medic in the world! How is she scared of blood?" Sakura said.

Shizune was about to tell Sakura the reason when Sakura cut her off, "It was rhetorical! It's time now!" she yelled as she threw a flash tag into the air, it went off signalling Jiraiya and Naruto to do their bit.

##########################

Naruto dropped down behind the squad and stealth assassinated gennin standing behind the other two with his Hidden Bone Blade.

He placed her down quietly and stood in her position, slowly drawing his second bone blade aswell.

The dead girl did what many recently dead people do, her muscles loosened, in short, she shat herself.

The two other gennin turned at the sound and Naruto ripped his blades through their throats, watching fall down clutching at their necks he smirked, "I'm getting quite good at this." He said.

Suddenly, Naruto saw the flash tag and gritted his teeth, "Dammit Ero-sensei!" he yelled in frustration as he flew into the air above the battlefield and placed the two special seals Sasuke made for him above and below his left eye.

Back on the ground, Sakura and Shizune entered combat against Guren again. The only difference is that she was extremely pissed off that they managed to crack her armour, they were slowly being beaten.

Sakura leapt away from Guren and looked up to see Naruto was in position, taking aim with his left pointer finger. "Now Shizune!" she yelled.

Shizune jumped over Guren as a distraction and then ran to help her mentor, it worked. Guren looked up revealing the only unarmoured part of her body to Naruto, her eyes.

With Sasuke's seal making a chakra lens magnifying Naruto's view, he could see the exact shot needed to take. So he took it.

With a small 'thoom,' the bone bullet flew through the air and pierced Guren's right eye on a downward angle, it ripped out the bottom of her mouth.

Guren screamed in pain and fell to her knees leaving her vulnerable, just like Sakura wanted.

"WHIP FIST!" Sakura yelled as she launched her arm forward and yanked Guren towards her, she let go and dropped to the ground as Guren was passing overhead.

A sonic boom sounded as Naruto used his 'Wind style: Motion Sickness' to speed up his dive at the same time Sakura channelled earth chakra into her right foot.

Sakura kicked upwards at Guren's cracked armour, "ANNIHILATING SECOND BULLET!" she yelled as she completely shattered the chest of Guren's armour and shot her at the nose-diving Naruto.

Using two hands, Naruto created a swirling chakra sphere, he pulled it back before thrusting it forward, "RASENGAN!" he yelled as Guren's armoured back collided with his Rasengan.

Guren screamed as the jutsu broke through her armour and gouged the crystal shards into her spinal column before launching her back down to Sakura.

Sakura's arm disappeared into a rainbow glow as she unleashed her executioner's blade.

Guren's screaming stopped as she was sliced in two.

Sakura closed her eyes as she was showered in blood, she retracted her blade with frown on her face as she simply said, "Ew."

Naruto landed in front of her, "Want a quick clean up?" he asked, the seal on his face still glowing.

Sakura nodded, "Mhmm." She said.

Naruto whipped his sword out and held a hand sign, "Water Clone Jutsu." He muttered.

Two water clones hugged Sakura from either side, and melded into one by walking over her, the blood was absorbed into the water and it stepped away, Sakura was now only wet with water and the clone looked like it was blushing from the blood now making up a part of its body.

Naruto slashed his sword through the clone, reabsorbing the water and blood into the seal as Sakura held a hand sign, "Fire style: Heat pulse." She said.

A flash of warmth flew throughout her body, it dried her clothes in an instant and the two Chunnin turned to look at tsunade's fight, Sakura was surprised to see Jiraiya wasn't helping. "Where's Ero-sensei?!" she yelled as the two ran to help the Shizune fight.

Naruto frowned, "He never showed up!" Naruto said as he entered the fight mid flight, swinging a punch at Kabuto.

Kabuto kicked Shizune in the leg then stood tall to punch her in the face, only to have Naruto's fist do so to him.

Kabuto used chakra to hold him to the ground so he only slid a few feet before ducking a kick of Sakura's.

He quickly raised his green glowing hand to her lower back, cleanly cutting Sakura's spinal cord.

Sakura screamed in pain as she fell to the ground, now unable to move below her waist.

Naruto watched in shock as his sister was hurt, his rage took over him, but surprisingly, it wasn't the fox that boosted his body's strength, it was Zabuza's demonic spirit.

Kabuto turned as the awful killing intent rolled over him, he barely raised his curved kunai in time to block Kubikiri Bocho.

Surprisingly enough, the tiny blade was able to block the attack.

Naruto used many complex manoeuvres to attack Kabuto, and some of them got through. Somehow, Kabuto was regenerating from every slash inflicted.

Naruto did a high swing which Kabuto ducked under and kicked the flat side of the blade, this manoeuvre knocked Naruto off guard and launched the sword from his grip.

Kabuto used the opportunity to slash at Naruto, but his blow was blocked by the gauntlet on his left arm.

The two stood in a deadlock as Kabuto finally got a close look at Naruto's left arm, he saw to his surprise that the whole thing was made of flower petals, and most shockingly of all, it was surrounding the snake summoning tattoo.

Kabuto stared in shock, not noticing as Naruto placed his hand on Kabuto's stomach, "DECAPITATING AIR WAVES!" Naruto yelled as Kabuto was blasted away.

Orochimaru stared as he watched his henchmen be defeated, 'Looks like I'll have to get involved after all.' He thought as his neck bulged, he opened his mouth to show his Kusanagi blade held in the grip of his tongue.

Naruto glanced at his grandma to see Shizune almost done wiping the blood away, he turned back to Kabuto to see him getting up, a circular hole torn in his almost fully healed stomach.

Naruto scowled as he watched Kabuto stand next to Orochimaru, who looked as though he was gonna be fighting now as well.

Naruto gritted his teeth, 'Dammit! What do I do?!' he thought.

###################

Sasuke grunted in pain as he stood, 'Dammit.' He thought as he almost fell again on his way to the bathroom.

After a few minutes, Sasuke was washing his hands at the sink when he heard a muffled moan from the adjoining room.

Sasuke frowned, 'that's odd, that's Ero-sensei's room. Aren't they all out fighting right now?' he thought.

He glanced out the window to see a plume of dust from something similar to a meteor digging into the ground, 'Could be Sakura-chan's kick.' He thought.

He heard another groan so he hobbled over to the adjoining door, leaning on the wall as he did so.

He finally opened the door to see Jiraiya chained to the bed with chakra cuffs, and a chakra eating seal on his bare chest.

Sasuke stared at jiraiya's wide eyes in shock, "WHAT THE FUCK SENSEI?!" Sasuke yelled in shock as he fell to the floor.

Jiraiya shook his body as he tried to get the gag out of his mouth, a few moments later Sasuke was able to pull it loose.

Jiraiya took a deep breath before saying, "Quick! Take the tag off of me!" he ordered.

Sasuke did so and Jiraiya forced his chakra into the cuffs holding him down, with brute force he ripped himself free.

Sasuke watched confused, "What happened sensei?" he asked.

Jiraiya threw on a black long sleeve tee and grabbed his weapon's holster, "No time! I'll explain later!" he said as he ran to jump out the window half dressed.

Sasuke quickly grabbed a seal that was tucked into his bandages, "Sensei catch!" he said as he threw it.

Jiraiya caught the seal and looked at it for a moment before his eyes widened, "You finished it?!" he asked.

Sasuke shook his head, "Part of it, but I tricked that part out a bit to suit as an convertible attack element seal." He said.

Jiraiya's eyes widened more, "Thanks Sasuke!" he yelled as he jumped out the window towards the battlefield.

Sasuke fell against the wall, 'If sensei wasn't there yet, is my family ok?' he thought as he began hyperventilating.

Sasuke tried to follow Jiraiya out the window, but couldn't even lift himself onto the windowsill, "Dammit!" he half-yelled as he fell to his knees and stared out the window as the telltale sign of Naruto's wind funnel flew across the plains.

A tear fell from his eyes, 'Why am I so damn weak!' he thought in rage as tears pooled in his eyes.

#################################

'Dammit! What do I do?!' Naruto thought as he stared down his opponents.

"SUMMONING: BRING DOWN THE HOUSE!"

Naruto looked up to see a house sized toad falling straight at Orochimaru and Kabuto, they dove out of the way and cleared the area quickly.

*BOOM*

The resulting cloud of dust served as a great stalling device, Shizune used this time to move over to Naruto, "They want her alive so that she'll heal him. He won't want to risk killing her." Shizune explained.

Naruto nodded, "Please, help Sakura-nee-chan." He said.

Shizune squinted, "I would, but I can't see through this dust." She complained.

Naruto frowned and focussed on his silent killing skills, he entered the dust with his eyes closed. "I'll get her, guard Baa-chan." He ordered as he flew into the dust cloud.

Naruto was floating through the cloud, looking for his sister when a toad's foot slammed in front of him, he dodged it's next step and flew to the side, he was almost whipped with a snake's tail as he flew up into the air above the cloud.

Naruto looked down to see Jiraiya on one toad; he looked exhausted and half naked, and on the snake stood Orochimaru, armless but sword in his tongue's grip, Kabuto by his side.

Naruto started to panic, "They could step on Sakura-chan!" he shouted to himself.

Luckily, Sakura seemed to hear him, "NARUTO-NII HELP!" she screamed.

Naruto's head whipped to the left of the dust cloud and he caught a glimpse of pink hair, "Nee-chan!" he yelled as he dive-bombed to her position.

Orochimaru saw Naruto enter the cloud and smirked, "Kabuto, kill him." He ordered.

Kabuto nodded and jumped into the dust cloud.

Naruto landed and went to lift Sakura, who was holding the high grip on Naruto's sword, he sheathed it and picked her up bridal style, "Hang on Nee-chan!" he said as he began to float into the air.

Sakura saw a glint and looked down to see Kabuto mid swipe at Naruto's back, "LOOK OUT!" she yelled as she threw her weight sideways.

Naruto was thrown off balance, causing the airborne ninjas to just move out of the way of kabuto's strike.

Naruto turned back as Kabuto began to fall back to the earth, Naruto placed Sakura on the ground and whipped out his sword as the dust began to clear.

Naruto frowned, "You're healing ability. My sister needs it." he said as he came up with a plan.

Kabuto chuckled, "Oh what a bummer." He said with a smirk as he activated his chakra scalpels again 'I have to be careful with my chakra use, I only have the equivalent to a low Jonin right now' Kabuto thought as he took an offensive stance.

Naruto took a deep breath and held a one handed-sign, "HIDDEN MIST JUTSU!" he said.

A mist replaced the dust cloud and from it a water clone ran carrying Sakura towards Shizune, who to it's shock and horror was just stabbed through the right chest area with Orochimaru's Kusanagi.

Jiraiya appeared not even a second later and punched Orochimaru away from Shizune.

Tsunade screamed in horror as Shizune fell to the ground, she scrambled over to Shizune and began healing as fast as she could, "Don't leave me Shizune!" she yelled as her chakra began to reseal the inner wound.

Naruto's water clone slid on his knees and lay Sakura down lightly next to Shizune, "Baa-chan! Will she be okay?" it asked in fear.

Tsunade nodded, "Shizune will be fine, but it will take a while and all my concentration." She said.

Naruto nodded, "And Sakura-Nee-chan?"

Tsunade glanced up at Sakura, who was breathing heavily and trying not to panic as he lower body lay completely limp. "By the looks of it, that medic used his chakra scalpels to cut the nerve in her spine, the fact that she hasn't lost control of her expulsion organs means it's more than likely a clean cut. I can fix that easily, but not right now I'm sorry Sakura-chan." She said as tears formed in her eyes.

Sakura nodded and kept breathing, trying not to freak out and panic, "Save Shizune-chan's life before you worry about me please." She said as she closed her eyes and tried to calm her racing heart.

Tsunade looked at the clone, "Where is the medic?" she asked.

It smirked, "I've got it handled." It said as it dispelled into a puddle of water.

################# #######

Naruto swung his blade in a low arc, forcing Kabuto to jump over it. Naruto completed his spin by digging the end of his sword into the ground and used as leverage to launch a kick that was a meter away from actually hitting. This made Kabuto feel safe, until he saw Naruto's smirk. "WIND STOMP!" he yelled.

A small burst of wind launched out from Naruto's wind tunnel and slammed into Kabuto's chest, it knocked him back and gave Naruto room to disappear into his mist.

Kabuto looked up to see that Naruto was gone and he instantly scowled, 'Shit, that's exactly what I wanted to avoid.' He thought as he kept his eyes peeled and he slowly turned in a circle, 'at least I know the weakness to this technique, I just have to listen for him walking.'

As reading kabuto's thoughts, Naruto lifted into the air and hovered over Kabuto and suddenly let go out the chakra in his feet tubing.

Kabuto heard rustling from behind so he turned and swung, right into the path of Kubikiri Bocho.

He stared as his arm fell to the ground, "AAHHH!" Kabuto screamed in shock.

Naruto swung again but Kabuto rolled out of the way and tried to heal his stump closed, he walked right into a water clone's grasp.

Kabuto wailed and kicked, he managed to get out of the grasp if the clone only to be tackled by three more, they held him still as Naruto appeared again.

He hacked Kabuto's legs off from literally just under the knee cap, Kabuto screamed as he was chopped apart and his knee joint fell out.

Naruto slashed again, severing Kabuto's remaining arm as the last of the water clones dispelled into water.

Naruto spun and placed his hand on kabuto's head with a smirk of victory.

"NINJA ART: SOUL-" and Kabuto turned to mud.

Naruto looked around in anger as all the limbs other than the first arm turned to mud. "NO!" Naruto yelled in anger as he spun around, searching for his prey.

Naruto growled and screamed in rage.

He swung his blade in the air and all the moisture and water in the area was absorbed into the seal.

He looked over to see Kabuto standing next to Orochimaru who just landed after dodging one of Jiraiya's Rasengans.

Kabuto was smirking as he looked at Naruto, and Orochimaru's glare was burning into Jiraiya.

Orochimaru sighed, "Kabuto, last chance." He ordered as the two planned to use the true snake pit jutsu.

Jiraiya stood tall, thinking that Orochimaru was saying that the battle was over. Jiraiya didn't bother continuing since he was more worried about those with him then bringing justice to the snake.

Naruto on the other hand was furious, "DIIIEEEE!" he yelled as he threw Kubikiri at the duo.

They both sunk underground to dodge and prepare the attack, but Naruto dove in after them with his head-hunter jutsu.

Jiraiya watched in shock at both Kabuto and Orochimaru were pushed back to the surface by huge water spout in the shape of a water dragon.

Naruto came up at the tail of the dragon, he planned to cut Kabuto in half but Orochimaru snap kicked Naruto away and thus pushing Kabuto from the water dragon.

Orochimaru frowned as he was continually lifted into the air by the dragon. He watched Naruto land and bounce til he stopped next to Tsunade, he decided to kill her since she wouldn't help him. "SNAKE ART: POISON WHIP!" he yelled as his tongue forked and shot towards Tsunade.

Jiraiya quickly took action and whipped out the seal Sasuke gave him, "SEALING ART: ELEMENTAL CONVERSION: SHOCK WAVE!" he yelled as he pushed his fire element chakra into the seal.

The seal took the power from jiraiya's elemental chakra and turned it to lightening, a bolt shot off and connected with the water dragon.

Orochimaru was fried, by the electric current and began to fall to the ground. Kabuto caught him and formed a one handed seal, the two disappeared in a long distance shunshin.

Jiraiya glared for a moment until he was positive they were gone. Confirming that, he ran over to the other four, "Are you ok?" he asked.

Naruto pushed himself into a seating position and glared as he popped his shoulder back into his shoulder, "NO WE'RE NOT! Where the hell were you anyway?!" he yelled.

Jiraiya sighed and passed Naruto's dropped sword to him, "I was literally tied up. I'll explain later." He said dismissively, "Tsunade, How are the girls?" he asked.

Tsunade smiled softly as she looked at Jiraiya, "Shizune was hurt badly, but she's healed up now. She will have to take it easy for a while though. Sakura is fine, but I recommend she doesn't stress her back for a while. She gets this next week completely off as we return to the village." She said as she wiped sweat and blood from her forehead.

Jiraiya noticed the blood, "You ok?" he asked.

She nodded, "Perfectly fine, Naruto can you help me please? I don't want Sakura to walk just yet." Tsunade said.

Naruto nodded as he stood and sheathed his blade, he picked Sakura up bridal style as she looped her hands around his neck, "Sorry Naru-nii, I just got in the way against Kabuto." She apologised with a frown.

Naruto shook his head and began hovering back to town alongside Jiraiya, who had Shizune piggy backing him unconscious, "No, you were fine, we just under estimated him. And luckily, he did the same for us." he said with a small smirk as he recalled hacking off Kabuto's arm.

Sakura nodded tiredly and leaned her head on Naruto's shoulder, "Thanks, Nii-kun." She mumbled before she passed out, probably from the combined shock of losing use of the bottom half of her body, and almost being squished by giant summon animals.

Tsunade sighed as she walked in front of the two guys, "Let's get back to Sasuke, tomorrow we'll begin heading back home, and Naruto, you'll be doing some heavy lifting." She said with a satisfied smirk.

Naruto blinked in confusion before frowning, "I have to carry both of my teammates don't i?" he asked.

Tsunade turned to him and foxily grinned, "You got it!" she said with a smile.

Naruto sighed, 'Well, at least this Orochimaru crap is over, for now.' He thought.

#######################################

Omake: Jiraiya's mistake.

Jiraiya and Tsunade sat at the local bar, sharing drinks and old stories.

Jiraiya scoffed, "And then he pretended the Yaoi was for you! Hahaha!" he laughed as he poured another shot for the two.

Tsunade laughed aswell, "Hahaha! Yeah, that was hilarious! too bad he didn't realise I was right behind him, there's a reason his cheekbones are so long and flat! A couple of super-powered slaps would do that to anyone!" she said with a loud chuckle.

The two adults sighed in unison at the memories of team Hiruzen, back when they were gennin.

Jiraiya felt a bit woozy, "Yeesh, I'm not feeling good." He said as he swayed a bit.

Tsunade could hold her liquor much better thanks to her years of drinking, "Seriously Jiraiya? You down already?" she asked as she stood.

Jiraiya tried to follow her example and began to fall, she caught him. "Thanks Tsu-chan." He said with a smile.

Tsunade helped him back to his room, "Hey, Jiraiya," she started quietly.

Jiraiya raised a brow, "Yeah hime?" he asked.

Tsunade looked up at his face, "Do you think we'll make it tomorrow? All of us I mean?" she asked, referring to the battle against Orochimaru.

Jiraiya nodded, "Of coarse we will! But if your that stressed about it," he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, "I could help you calm down with a…_massage_." He said with a smirk.

Tsunade chuckled, "Not while you're this wasted, geez, now I know how Shizune feels." She muttered with a smile as she helped Jiraiya to his bed.

Jiraiya sat on the end of his bed, his drunken mind turning over tsunade's words the wrong way, 'tsunade used to give Shizune…_massages_?' he thought.

Blood shot from his nose and he was thrown head first into the roof, he was knocked out cold instantly.

Tsunade watched his instant knockout and blinked, "Did I fall out?" she asked herself as she looked down at her chest drunkenly. Seeing everything was in order, 'And damn hot', she thought to herself. She thought over her words and realised what Jiraiya was thinking.

She frowned, "Damn pervert," she muttered.

Even in unconsciousness, jiraiya's arm lifted into the air, "suu..pa…per…vut" he said between snores.

Tsunade grinned evilly, 'hehehe, prank time!' she thought as the genetics that inhabited Naruto's brain for the majority of his childhood sprung to life.

Tsunade took some chakra cuffs from Jiraiya's belongings and cuffed his hands and feet to the bed post, she didn't activate them though so it was as tho he was connected by a weak metal. 'I've seen Jiraiya rip activated chakra chains so normal ones shouldn't be a problem.' She thought with a chuckle.

Tsunade snuck to her room quietly and went to bed, no knowing the problems she just caused for the next day's proceedings.

_A few hours later…_

Guren sighed as she looked in Tsunade's window 'If Orochimaru-sama wanted to check on her he could've sent someone else.' She thought as she turned to walk away.

She heard a loud snoring from the next room over and rolled her eyes, 'Damn men, he's probably keeping his wife up.' She thought as she stealthfully glanced in the window, only for her eyes to widen as she saw Jiraiya of the sannin sleeping…chained to the bed.

She froze as she tried to think of a reason he'd be here, 'Maybe he plans to interrupt on Orochimaru-sama's plan!' she thought as she frowned.

She looked for more details in his room and saw a pile of labelled seals, and realised that jiraiya's cuffs were actually chakra cuffs. 'too easy.' She thought with a smirk.

She slid in the open window quietly and grabbed a sock from the floor to use as a gag and picked up what was labelled a 'Chakra eating seal.'

Her smirk grew, "Far too easy." She muttered.

In his drunken sleep, Jiraiya heard her talk. His eyes shot open in confusion when he saw Guren.

Guren reacted quickly slammed the sock into jiraiya's mouth, he tried to move when he realised he was cuffed down, but before he could rip himself free, Guren punched the chakra tag onto his sternum.

He gagged as he tried to breath properly, she quickly pushed her chakra into the seals on the cuffs and they became super strength in a second.

Jiraiya tried to rip himself free, but he couldn't move. "MMF!" he tried to yell around the gag.

Guren chuckled and stroke his chest, "Hmhm, y'know, for an old guy you're a cutie. I'm gonna come back for you tomorrow, I'd like to have you as my pet." She said with a very snake-like smirk as she licked her lips.

Jiraiya stopped his struggling and smirked for a moment, "Hmhmhm," he chuckled into the gag with a blush at the thought.

Guren frowned as her intimidation tactic didn't work and just formed a small hollow ball of crystal, causing jiraiya's eyes to widen, "Goodnight, Jiraiya-chan." She said as she slammed the extremely thin orb onto his face.

It shattered as it knocked him out instantly, Guren smiled as she left through the window, "I wonder if Orochimaru-sama will let me keep him as a reward?" she asked herself as she began to head back to where she and her gennin team were staying.

###############################

Chapter end.

R&R please!


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter twenty three: Re-establishing clans! A Chunnin's Duty!

Izumo and Kotetsu, the eternal Chunnin gate guards, did their usual thing of complaining about their jobs and not doing anything about it.

Izumo sighed, "Geez, nothing interesting ever happens here." He whined.

Kotetsu was about to reply when a glint from down the road caught his eye, "Umm, I bet you a thousand ryo that something interesting will happen today." He said.

Izumo continued staring at the passing midday clouds, "Sure I'll take that bet. You can't take it back when you lose though." He said with a bored smirk.

Kotetsu nodded, "Same to you." He said.

Izumo wondered at Kotetsu's calmness and looked over at him. He was looking down the road at the approaching figures, Izumo looked at them and blinked in shock before scowling, "Son of a bitch." He mumbled to himself.

Jiraiya stepped up to the small desk, "Hello boys, Jiraiya and Chunnin Squad Seven returning with a successful A-rank." He said as he leaned on the table.

Kotetsu smiled in greeting and held out his hand, "Scroll." He said.

Jiraiya smirked and passed the mission scroll to him, Kotetsu moved to verify it while Izumo groaned, "I'm probably gonna regret this, but can you explain that to me?" he asked as he pointed at the others.

Jiraiya turned to look at his companions and smirked.

Two Narutos stood, holding their sword between them which Sakura lay on, completely relaxed as she watched the clouds and talked to Sasuke, who was laying on a platform made of chakra coming from the seals on Sasuke's kusarigama.

Next to them Shizune stood doing a final scan of Sasuke's wounds and Tsunade laughed at something the real Naruto said as he stood next to her.

Jiraiya turned back to Izumo, "Short version, Hokage jutsus gone wrong, battles against a crystal user, a Jonin level combat medic, and Orochimaru. We won them all and I was only in one of those battles." He said with a smirk.

Izumo's jaw dropped, "Wait, what?" he said with wide eyes.

Kotetsu came back, "Everything checks out, go ahead." He said.

Jiraiya nodded and took the offered scroll, he turned back to the others as they walked through the gate.

Kotetsu held his arm out, Izumo frowned. "Son of a bitch." He muttered as he slapped a wad of cash into kotetsu's hand.

#################################

The group had just dropped by the hospital, within moments, Tsunade easily healed an unconscious Hinata, a sleepy Sakura and a now only in intense pain Sasuke. She would've continued to heal everyone else but she was needed at the Hokage tower, so she ordered Shizune to stay there and check the medical standards.

So, Naruto, Jiraiya and Tsunade walked to see the soon to be retired kage in his tower.

They just walked into view of the tower when Naruto frowned, "Baa-chan? What are you gonna do about the council?" he asked.

Tsunade frowned darkly, "first I'm gonna piss them off, then I'm gonna use them to piss themselves off, then they will regret messing with my family." She took a deep breath from her rant and tried to calm down, when she realised something and smirked.

She turned to Naruto, "Naru-chan, I want to give you something. Just think of it as a reunion present between the two of us." she said with a smile.

Naruto turned in mid-air, "What's that Baa-chan?" he asked.

She took off her necklace and clipped it around Naruto's neck, it sat perfectly between his collarbones, "This is a bit of a family Heirloom. I got it back after Minato-kun passed, it is the senju's way of recognising who will follow their footsteps." She explained with a smile.

Naruto grinned, "You mean like becoming Hokage?" he asked.

She smiled, "Pretty much, it went from my great-grandfather to my great-granduncle, then to my father, but he passed away early in life. So it went to me, I gave it to those close to me who aspired to be Hokage. Unfortunately, the first two died, but Minato-kun lasted til he was the Hokage then gave it back to me for safe keeping. I'm passing to you for the same reason." She said as she turned back to the tower and began walking.

Naruto floated up next to her, his grin threatening to split his face, "Thanks Baa-chan!" he said excitedly.

Tsunade smiled at him, "Nothing less than the best for my boy." She said as she ruffled his hair.

Jiraiya interrupted the moment with a small cough, "Sorry guys but we really should hurry." He said as he began to walk briskly.

The two quickly followed after Jiraiya and up to the office of the Third Hokage.

##################################

*Knock Knock*

"Come in!"

Tsunade opened the door to see a very frustrated looking Kage being towered over by three other people, he smiled as she walked in, "Tsunade-chan." He sighed in relief.

The three others turned around with a stunned look on their faces, revealing to be the Hokage's two advisors and Danzo.

Koharu glared, "What are YOU doing here?" she asked as she glared at Tsunade.

Tsunade walked up to her and smiled, "taking out the trash." She replied.

Danzo was about to say something when Tsunade grabbed both of the advisor's collars and threw them out the door, literally.

Jiraiya closed the door as the two flew out, "One more to go." He said with a smirk.

Danzo glared, "As a civilian, it is illegal for a ninja of the Hokage to harm me." He said hatefully.

Tsunade raised a brow, "And since when are you a civilian? I thought you were controlling the Uchiha clan?" she asked.

The third Hokage wheeled his chair to Tsunade, and over Danzo's toe, "Well, you see -OW!" the aged asshole yelled as he fell back onto a chair.

Hiruzen stopped in front of Tsunade and looked up with a withered smile, "Hello Tsunade-chan, will you help me and village out?" he asked as he raised his hat off of his head and passed it to Tsunade.

She took the hat and put it on, "You know it old man." She said with a smile.

Hiruzen smiled up at her happily before wheeling himself to the side and gesturing towards his desk, "It's all yours." He said.

Tsunade walked around the desk and sat down in the Hokage chair, she smiled as Hiruzen wheeled to the side of her desk, Jiraiya sat in a chair facing the desk and Naruto hovered in a crouch over the other chair.

Danzo glared from the chair he sat on, "I will be taking my leave then." He spat out as he stood and walked out of the room.

The moment the door closed behind him Naruto and Jiraiya shared the same cocky grin, they chuckled before Tsunade palmed her desk, gaining their attention.

She cleared her throat, "Alright, I have a few orders of business. Firstly," she looked at Hiruzen for this, "I don't want a big ceremony, just let the news of my inauguration fan throughout the village. Secondly, my first order is that you," she now pointed at Hiruzen, "will help me until I can do all of this myself, don't worry I am pretty sure I'll be a quick learner. And finally, I want you to be directly involved in mission assignments." She said.

Hiruzen blinked, "Umm, I guess I can for a while, but that's what Chunnin do." He said.

Tsunade frowned, "Exactly, I want them to be on missions and training to become Jonin, not sitting at a desk. I'll let you organise up to three ninjas to help you each day, but you can't have the same Chunnin for more than two days in a row each month, or you can find a personnel assistant. Okay?" she said.

Hiruzen chuckled with a smirk, "Sure Tsunade-chan." He said.

Tsunade smiled, "Alright, I will get this village up and ready for anything!" she said determinedly.

Jiraiya grinned, "Anything else, Hokage-sama?" he asked.

Tsunade pulled in a breath, "That's gonna be hard to get used to." She muttered.

She then looked at her sensei, "How do I use those Anbu messengers?" she asked.

Hiruzen smirked, "Above your left knee, there is a basic pulse seal. Thanks to Minato's time in office everything is run almost automatically." He explained.

Tsunade sent a sliver of chakra over her knee and felt a small portion be sucked into the invisible seal, not ten seconds later an anbu appeared in a poof of smoke, "You called Ho.." he trailed off as he saw Tsunade behind the desk instead of Hiruzen.

The Anbu dropped into a respectful crouch, "Tsunade-sama, would you please inform me as to the village's Hokage status?" he asked in a clear voice.

Tsunade raised a brow, "Sarutobi-sensei has stepped down once again, and I have been selected to be the fifth." She said.

The Anbu stood from his crouch, "It is an honour to serve under you. What do you need?" he asked.

Everyone just looked at Tsunade blankly, "Umm, I guess could you tell everyone I'm the Hokage now?" she asked.

The Anbu nodded, "Anyone specific?" he asked.

Tsunade put a hand to her chin in thought, "I guess the clan heads, the Anbu Captains of each department, and make it news to the civilian council members." She said.

The Anbu nodded, "It will be done." Then he disappeared in a poof of smoke.

Tsunade blinked, "That was kinda weird." She said.

Hiruzen nodded, "You'll get used to it." he said with a smile.

Tsunade took a deep breath then turned back to Jiraiya and Naruto, "Now, you've lost some progress with your spy network since you've been looking for me right Jiraiya?" he nodded, "In that case, I'll give you some time to get it up and running again, can you work from the village itself?" she asked.

He raised a brow, "I guess I can, why?" he asked.

Tsunade scowled, "I saw the state of the village, we're weakened from that invasion. I'm hoping having two of the sannin in our walls will help make villages think twice about attacking us." she explained.

Jiraiya nodded, "Sure, can I have a couple of days off though? For some…research." he said as he thought about his research with a giggle.

Naruto slapped him across the face, "Not now Ero-sensei." He said.

Tsunade smiled softly, "Sure you can Jiraiya. But only two days, ya hear me?"

He nodded with a smile as he rubbed his red cheek, "Thanks Tsu-hime." He said as he stood.

Tsunade smiled and watched as Jiraiya walked to the window and hopped out. She turned back to Naruto, "Since most of your team is incapacitated at the moment, you can have some time off, okay?" she said with a smile

Hiruzen nodded, "I think I know the perfect mission anyway, it comes around this time very four years." He said.

Naruto hovered into a standing position, "Thanks Baa-chan!" he said excitedly.

She smiled, "Listen Naru-chan, I understand you're staying in the Uchiha district?" she said.

He nodded, "Yep, in the south-east corner next to the Nakano shrine. Why do you ask?" he asked.

Tsunade smiled again, "No reason, now get going. I want you home for when Sakura checks out." She said.

Naruto grinned, "Okay Baa-chan! By Jiji!" he yelled as he flew out the window.

Tsunade sighed and turned back to Sarutobi, she was about to talk when she was cut off by the Anbu poof-ing back into the room, "Message delivered Hokage-sama." He said with a bow.

Tsunade blinked, "how'd you do it so quick?" she asked.

The Anbu calmly answered, "Shadow Clones accompanied by shunshin."

Tsunade nodded in appreciation before an idea lit up in her head, "Hey sensei, can I use a couple of shadow clones to lighten the workload in here?" she asked.

Hiruzen blinked before wheeling himself to beside Tsunade, he opened the third draw in the left side of her desk and pulled out an envelope written to him by Minato. Tsunade watched in confusion as he opened the envelope and pulled out to pieces of paper.

He read one and sighed before placing the other on the desk, revealing a target with 'bang head here' written on it.

Tsunade's brows shot up as her sensei began slamming his head on the target.

*BANG* "Stupid." *BANG* "Stupid." *BANG* "Stupid!"

Tsunade watched him continue for a moment before picking up the other piece of paper, it read: _Dear Hiruzen, _

_Sorry to put you back in office, just wanted to know why you always complained about the paperwork? It was easy for me thanks to shadow clones. _

_p.s. Give mum my love and please look after little Naruto._

_P.p.s Kushina-chan said that this other piece of paper will be needed and that you're silly. _

Tsunade looked at her sensei again and burst out laughing.

###############################

Naruto floated into the house and took a deep breath, "KIN-CHAN YOU HERE?!" he yelled.

From the stair case, Kin slid down on the arm rail with dango in her hand. "Hey Naruto-kun! How was the mission?" she asked as she took a bite.

Naruto smiled, "We did it successfully and no one was killed, so all good." He said.

Kin nodded, which is when Naruto noticed her hair was tied in to a high pony tail, actually she was in a whole new outfit.

Naruto blushed as he realised it was almost the same as Anko's, the only difference was that Anko's skirt was orange whereas Kin's was purple.

Naruto blinked, "What the heck happened to your outfit?" he asked.

Kin blinked and looked down, "Oh yeah, Anko-sensei decided she wanted to train me. And she literally didn't let me refuse, not that I would've." She said with a shrug.

Naruto focussed, 'Look at her face, not the cleavage she is showing. What kind of thirteen year old has things that big anyways?!' he thought as he stared at her forehead.

He was not exaggerating in any way, Kin was as developed as a young twenty year old.

Kin noticed his problem and grinned, "Naw, its little Naruto intimidated by little old me?" she asked as she licked the stick of dango suggestively.

Naruto's jaw dropped, "HOLY LOG SHE DIDN'T JUST TRAIN YOU! SHE'S MADE A MINI HER!" he yelled.

Kin thumped the topside of Naruto's head as she walked past, "Calm down big boy, I'm off for more training!" she said to the dazed Naruto.

Naruto watched as she walked out before shaking his head, "I leave for barely two weeks and shit turns crazy." He muttered as he walked up the stairs to his room.

Naruto paused and listened to the quiet house before grinning, "FINALLY!" he cheered as he grabbed a towel and ran to the bathroom.

Naruto stripped down and sat in the mega tub, he turned on all four taps and the spa bath pumps, "Oh yeeeeeah," he said as he finally got to relax..

*POOF*

"Naruto Uzumaki, you are requested by the-"WHAT THE FUCK I'M NAKED ASSHOLE!"

Naruto covered himself with bubbles as the Anbu had no outward reaction, "Yes. You are. Hokage-sama requests your presence in the council chambers in forty minutes." The Anbu said.

Naruto stated, "Then why couldn't you have waited TEN MORE MINUTES?!" he yelled in anger.

The Anbu seemed to be smirking, though Naruto had no way to confirm it, "…Felt like it." Anbu said before disappearing in another poof.

Naruto glared until the smoke dissipated, he sighed before trying to relax again, "Dammit, the moments gone." He mumbled as he began to wash himself.

About ten minutes later, semi-dry Naruto was sitting on the back porch of the house with Kubikiri bocho across his lap. He was cleaning it with the utmost care, he sighed happily, "This is actually quite relaxing." He said with a small smile.

He was left in peace this time as he finished cleaning his blade, he held it up as it glinted in the sunlight, a symbol of his power.

Naruto smirked until he noticed the angle of the sun in the sky, he sheathed his blade as he stood, "Better get going then." He mumbled as he walked over to the tree in the centre of the backyard.

He held a hand sign, "Wood Clone Jutsu!" he proclaimed, creating a wood clone from the soul of the tree.

Naruto's head tilted as he thought of that, 'the soul of the tree is what gives it so much life…I wonder what another soul would do.' He thought as he watched the wood clone come to life.

Naruto was interrupted from his trail of thought as his clone tapped his shoulder, "So, what do ya need?" it asked.

Naruto shook his head, "Oh, right. Nee-chan will be kicked out of the hospital in the next half hour, I need you to pick her up and make sure she gets home safe. No dispelling until I return, even if she tells you to." He ordered.

The clone frowned and nodded, "Sure, how long til she's better again?" it asked.

Naruto shrugged, "Why you askin me? I know the same as you." He said as he began to hover into the air. The clone just nodded and walked back inside.

Naruto began to fly towards the Hokage tower and the dreaded council chambers, 'This'll either be great, or shit.' He thought as he flew up amongst a flock of birds.

Naruto was smiling as he flew just inside the triangle of the flock before he looked down, he realised he was right above the wall surrounding the Hokage tower.

He smiled at the birds before he stopped channelling chakra, "So long." He said as he began to fall.

Naruto smiled as he free fell downwards and watched the world move towards him, people looked up at him in fear as all they saw was a person falling from an extreme height.

He flipped into a hand stand position and pushed a tonne of wind chakra into his arm funnels, he slowed to a stop mere centimetres off the ground.

Naruto looked 'up' at the ground and smiled, "hehehe, never gonna get tired of flight." He said before pushing himself higher and flipping around to an upright position, never touching the ground as he swapped between the uses of wind funnels.

He casually hovered over to the back entrance of the Hokage-tower which connected to the council chambers, he raised a brow at the fact that there was twice the amount of Anbu in the area as usual, "Must be something to do with what Baa-chan is up to." He muttered as he was let in by an Anbu and escorted to the council chambers.

The door was opened and Naruto smiled at Tsunade, who was sitting in the Hokage's seat. The council was in an oddly silent state. "Heya Baa-chan." Naruto said with a wave as he landed softly.

Many ninja and civilians gasped at Naruto's address and stared at Tsunade in fear, to their shock Tsunade just frowned lightly, "Naru-chan, when I have this hat on I'm the Hokage. Alright?" she said.

Naruto just nodded with a small smile, "Okay Hokage-baa-chan." He said with a chuckle.

Tsunade breathed a chuckle, "Alright smart ass, now that you're here we have some announcements to make." She said as she sat slightly straighter.

She nodded to the chair where the advisors were sitting, "As stated by the Shodaime, I have only just stepped into office so I enact the Hokage's personal laws, any objections from the civilian council?" she asked.

In a second, many of the dumber civilians burst into a raucous. The advisors turned to Tsunade and raised their hands along with those that actually knew what they were doing.

Tsunade clicked her fingers, a large number of anbu dropped from the ceiling and landed in front of all the talking civilians and flicked their foreheads before jumping back into the darkness.

Everyone went quiet in shock at what just happened and Tsunade used the opportunity to take charge, "As you can see, unlike my sensei I will not be patient with you. Next time someone talks out of turn, it will be a kunai instead of a finger flick. Am I clear?" she said as she glared.

The ninja side sat in silence and shock at the violent display of power by the Hokage. Most of the civilians sat in silence when one stood, a brunette woman that ran the finances of the orphanages of the village. "This is unacceptable behaviour! I will not-

*SHLINK*

Everyone stared in silence as the Anbu caught the dead woman and disappeared into the darkness again.

Tsunade stood, "AM I CLEAR?!" she yelled.

The whole hall nodded, keeping their silence and opinions to themselves.

Tsunade smiled, "Good. As I said before, any questions from the civilian council?" she repeated.

Some raised their arms into the air as if they were children in class, Tsunade nodded to a man in a wheelchair, "Yes, you." She said.

He frowned, "Hokage-sama, I request to take over the financial management of the village's orphanages. I run the Shinobi library anyway, I don't mind the extra work." Mayoshi Haruno said.

Tsunade recognised him and nodded with a smile, "May I answer your request in a few minutes? I wish for you to answer a question later that may affect your decision here." She said.

Mayoshi nodded, "Umm, of course Hokage-sama." He said with a confused look on his face.

Tsunade then nodded to the advisors, "your questions?" she asked.

They nodded Himura stood, "As the advisors to the Hokage, we officially accept Danzo-san into our ranks."

Danzo stood with a smirk as he went to walk towards the Advisor's circle. He was unopposed as he sat in a chair between the two existing advisors.

The ninja council waited for Tsunade to oppose the idea, but to their shock, she just moved on. "Not really a question but alright. Now, ninja council, any questions from your end?" she asked.

All the people looked at Shikaku, as they knew he would ask the only important questions. They were right as Shikaku raised a hand.

Tsunade nodded, "Yes Shikaku-san?" she asked.

"Your display of power against that civilian woman, is that how you plan to get your way throughout your time as Hokage?" he asked.

Tsunade shook her head in the negative, "Of course not, I just want you all to know that when I order you to do something, I mean it. This is a _ninja_ village, not some farm town." She said, subtly letting Shikaku know that she saw the ninja council as the actual important side and that she was whipping the civilians into obedience.

Shikaku smirked at the tactic and nodded, "That's all I care about, anything more would be too troublesome, so I've asked enough." He said.

Inoichi raised his hand, Tsunade raised a brow and nodded to him, "Sorry Hokage-sama, I have but one question, why is Naruto present during these council proceedings?" he asked.

Everyone turned their eyes to the airborne Naruto, he was crouching in mid-air again.

Tsunade smirked, "Good question, you see Naruto will be a large factor during my first true action as Hokage, other than the little essentials of course." She said.

Naruto's brow raised, 'She's gonna make me decide now?' he thought as he hovered in silence.

Tsunade nodded, "Continuing from the personal laws agreement, my next action is the selection of advisors." She said calmly.

Danzo twitched in irritation as he realised her plan, Koharu turned with a confused look, "Hokage-sama, we're already selected." She said.

Tsunade smiled, "Sorry, my sensei chose you two when he entered office and the Yondaime just didn't pick out new advisors. I will be choosing others, so you two are dismissed. Danzo, please return to your chair on the civilian council." She said with a tone of finality.

The two geezers stood in defiance when an Anbu team appeared surrounding them, "You will vacate the premises under your own power or in cuffs." He said as he fingered the handle of his wakizashi.

The two ex-advisors scowled as they were dragged out. Danzo stood and calmly walked back to his chair, the only sign he was beaten was the frown on his face.

Tsunade smirked and turned to the Anbu next to her, "Let in my advisors." She said with a smile.

The Anbu turned and opened a door, Hiruzen Sarutobi rolled in, followed by some blind older brunette woman.

Shikaku's eyes widened, "Kaa-san?" he asked in shock.

She moved as if she could see, but her eyes were wrapped behind a layer of bandages, "Yes Shikaku-kun." She said softly as she sat down.

He sighed before resting his head on the table, appearing to fall asleep. Inoichi and Chouza seemed to relax as well, as if all their worries were now unnecessary.

In fact, most of the ninja council had relaxed smiles on their faces, as if all the weight of being in their situation was lifted off their shoulders.

Tsunade continued, "Welcome Hiruzen Sarutobi, Hani Naara. Now that the formalities are over, I get to use my inauguration law right?" she asked.

Hiruzen smirked, "Correct." He said.

Hani continued, "As long as a majority vote is casted with the ninja council of the village, your law or movement will be accepted." She clarified.

Tsunade smiled and stood, "People of the council, I move that two forgotten clans be re-established." She said cockily.

There was silence before every civilian council member burst into a screaming frenzy, "Whose joined the village?!" "What clan?!" "Do they have Kekkei Genkai?!".

Tsunade raised her left arm and circled her pointer finger in the air, an Anbu dropped and sent chakra into a seal carved into the floor work. A purple pulse of chakra moved over the civilian side of the council and suddenly, the whole left side of the room was muted.

Tsunade watched with a smirk as a large majority of the civilian council kept asking questions, while the ninja side sat in silence.

Shikaku raised his arm, "Tsunade-sama, if I may?" he asked.

Tsunade nodded and her smirk widened as Shikaku's shadow stretched across the floor of the council and attached to a man standing at the front.

Shikaku turned to his side and bowed, causing the man to turn to the guy next to him and head-butt him.

The civilians stopped and stared at the ensuing fist fight between the council members, until and Anbu dropped down and stood between them, a hand on each of their necks.

The other Anbu dropped the seal as the civilian council was silent. Tsunade spoke, "All right, since this matter is a ninja matter, I ask all the civilian council to vacate other than Mayoshi-san and Tokibana-san."

Danzo stood and glared, "This matter concerns the village and therefore civilian council representatives MUST be present." He said.

Tsunade scoffed, "It doesn't affect anyone just yet so get over it. Leave now or you will be forced." She said as she met his glare with a smirk.

The many Anbu dropped in front of the civilian council again, most went without fuss, but some had to be forced out. In the end only Mayoshi Haruno and Tokibana Hachimono remained, and they both seemed very nervous.

Tsunade stood, "Remaining council of Konoha, I want you to be honest with me here. How many of you know who Naruto Uzumaki's parents are?" she asked.

Hiashi, Shikaku, Tsume and Tokibana raised their hands, "Do you all know who both of his parents are?" Tsunade asked.

Tsume's hand wavered before she lowered it, "I only knew his mother." She said.

Tsunade nodded, "That's fine, how many of you know who his grandparents are?" she asked.

Tokibana and Shikaku lowered their hands, causing Hiashi to frown slightly.

Tsunade said, "Hiashi, can you please tell everyone the last three generations of Naruto's family please?"

Hiashi stood and walked down to the floor where Naruto stood, "Naruto Uzumaki, his parents where Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze." He said with an absolutely calm expression.

Everyone was stunned silent until Chouza stood, "Naruto is the son of our Fourth?" he asked as he leaned over his table.

Naruto nodded, "Need proof?" he asked as he formed a Rasengan between his two hands.

Most gasped at the revelation, while Naruto sighed, 'Now I'm only gonna be seen as the Fourth's son, at least it's better than Fox boy or Demon' He thought.

Tsunade quietened the talking with a simple raise of her hand, "Since Naruto is the son of two major clan heads, he wanted to bring them back into existence, the only problem is, one man cannot be clan head of two clans. So I have come up with a solution." She said with a smirk.

Naruto raised a brow, "So I don't have to choose which clan to bring back?" he asked.

Tsunade smiled and shook her head, "No Naruto. Legally speaking; since you are unable to run either clan until you are twenty one or a Jonin, there is no specification for a situation involving TWO clans to the one person. So until either of those moments, you will be asked to choose people to represent both of your clans."

Naruto nodded as he thought over tsunade's explanation, "Okay, well I'll stick my original choice still," he turned to Mayoshi, "Mayoshi-san, could you please fill in for clan head of the Namikaze clan?" he asked.

Mayoshi sat in stunned silence, "Naruto-san, we've had a total of two conversations, why would you trust me to do this?" he asked.

Naruto smiled, "'Cause anyone else would've jumped at the chance to be in a position of higher power, the fact you just asked me that show you're the type of person I can trust." He said.

Mayoshi looked at his lap for a second before nodded slowly, "I..yes, I will help you with this Naruto-san." He said before facing Tsunade, "Tsunade-sama, I wish to retract my request from before." He said.

Tsunade smiled and nodded, "That's why I've got Tokibana-san here." She said.

Tokibana's eyes widened, "Huh?" he asked.

"You see Tokibana, since you are in charge of all of the food establishment's money in the eastern sector of the village, I was wondering if you could keep an eye on the orphanage's wages since they are both in that sector as well. What do you think?" Tsunade said.

Tokibana tilted his head to the side before nodding, "I guess I could, what's two establishments aye?" he rhetorically asked as he stood, "Is that all you need me for Tsunade-sama?" he asked.

Naruto cut in, "I have a question!" he yelled.

Tsunade smirked at his behaviour, "Yes Naruto?"

Naruto turned to Tokibana, "I wanted to ask, Ichiraku ramen is in the eastern sector as well right?"

Tokibana nodded, "Yes it is, why do you ask?" he asked.

Naruto smiled, "Well, I was wondering if I could buy the establishment from you? I would like to make it bigger and have it near the Northern district." He said.

Tokibana held his chin in thought, "I will have to check with Teuchi-san and the costs against the value before I can set up anything. But I will get back to you on that one Naruto-san." He said with a nod.

Tsunade spoke up, "In that case, you are dismissed Tokibana, thank you for cooperation and I do believe I will be visiting one of your establishments tonight." She said with a smile.

Tokibana's eyes gleamed as he imagined customers pouring in to see the new Hokage, "No problem Tsunade-sama." He said before walking out.

Hiashi walked over to Mayoshi, who was still looking down and thinking about the responsibilities of being a clan head. "Mayoshi-dono, would you like some assistance getting to the seat of the Namikaze clan head?" he asked.

Mayoshi snapped out of his thought train and shook his head, "Thank you for the offer Hiashi-sam- ummm, Hiashi-dono, but I can make it there myself." He said as he wheeled out from behind his table on the lower row of the civilian council and rolled over to the ninja side.

Hiashi watched as Mayoshi got to the stairs and used chakra to speed up and literally wall-ride up the staircase and land at the top. Mayoshi smiled at Hiashi who nodded in respect to the skill.

Naruto smiled as he watched Mayoshi wheel himself next to Tsume and rested against the table there, Naruto then turned to Tsunade, "Can I choose Iruka-sensei as my representative on the Uzumaki clan?" he asked.

Tsunade blinked, "Ummm, I think so?" she looked to her advisors for help.

Hani, who had perfect recollection, nodded, "Even though Iruka-san is only Chunnin, not only is he twenty three, he has served time in the Anbu fuuinjutsu unit. So he is qualified to be a representative." She said.

Naruto blinked, "Iruka-sensei was in Anbu?" he asked.

Hani nodded, "That he was Naruto-san." She answered.

Naruto tried to imagine his ex sensei in the outfit but couldn't quite do it.

Tsunade coughed, "Alright, this entire meeting was public, therefore, there is no need to try and keep it a secret. Although there is one last thing," she said, gaining everyone's attention.

Tsunade turned to Hiashi, "You apparently know who Naruto's grandparents are/were?" she asked.

Hiashi nodded, "Minato's parents are yourself and your late lover Dan." He said.

Everyone stared openly at Tsunade as Sarutobi stood, "LISTEN TO ME!" everyone stopped and turned to the Sandaime, "Tsunade was lied to by the past council, she did NOT leave her family behind. She was deceived and has decided to forgive the village. We should be grateful for her compassion." He said, he stared down any clan head that glared at Tsunade.

Hiashi continued, "Kushina's parents were lost in the attack on Uzushiogakure, but her pregnant Auntie was taken to the sound village by one of Orochimaru's thugs." He said.

Everyone then stared at him, including Tsunade and her advisors, "…I suppose I was the only one with this knowledge?" he asked with a raised brow.

Hiruzen asked, "Why didn't you inform me of this discovery Hiashi?!" he near yelled.

Hiashi blinked, "I thought you'd have known, after all I found out through my father who found out through the monthly intelligence reports given to the clan heads many years ago. Did no one read those reports?" he asked.

Many of the clan heads blushed in embarrassment but Tsume just raised a brow, "We're actually meant to read those things? I just thought it was junk mail…" she mumbled.

Tsunade sighed and pinched her brow in frustration, "Okay, from now on clan heads will meet on the first Monday of each month and we'll discuss everything in the reports. That way no more stuff ups on something this huge!" she said.

The whole ninja council nodded, "Hai Tsunade-sama." They said in unison.

Tsunade smirked before waving her arm, "DISMISSED!"

#######################################################

Naruto was hovering home, thinking about his two clans, 'Talk about pressure, geez.'

He came around the corner to the Uchiha district to see Sasuke walking slowly with a light layer of sweat on him, "Hey Aniki, what are you doing out of the hospital?" he asked.

Sasuke stopped his slow walk and looked at Naruto, "They said I could go home if I wanted, but I'm not allowed to use jutsu until my chakra is at one hundred percent again. They said I should be one hundred percent in two more days, but everything still aches from me trying that damned seal." He muttered.

Naruto looked ahead and saw that they were still eight blocks away, and Sasuke looked to be in major pain. "Aniki, I'm carrying you." He said.

Sasuke glared, "I can do this myself Naruto-OOH!" Naruto picked him up on his back and hovered slightly faster towards their house.

Sasuke sighed with a light smirk, 'Hn, well I guess this is alright.' He thought as his sore legs finally got to relax.

Naruto floated to the door and hovered through the house up to Sasuke's room, "Sorry Aniki, I just wanted to make sure you healed proper," He said as he landed in front of Sasuke's door, "Since Nee-chan is still healing as well, I thought I'd get some take away from Ichiraku's for dinner, that sound okay?" he asked.

Sasuke opened his door and trudged to his bed, he sat down and sighed, "That would be good Otouto, where is Sakura-chan anyway? I thought she was let out a few hours ago?" he asked.

Naruto tilted his head in thought, realising his clone hasn't dispelled itself yet, "I'm not sure aniki, you want me to look around?" he asked.

Sasuke shook his head in the negative, "It should be fine, I'm gonna have a rest then head to the shower, why don't you try out getting a mission?" he asked.

Naruto raised a brow, "But we can't do a mission, you and Sakura are still injured." He said.

Sasuke chuckled, "Dobe, you're a Chunnin now. You have to start leading missions as well, for your first it should only be a C-rank at best. Why don't you do yours now so you could be done by the time we're fully healed?" he suggested.

Naruto frowned in thought, "I guess I could…Okay, I'll go ask Baa-chan. On my way back I'll grab dinner, will you be okay?" he asked.

Sasuke smirked and slowly stood, "I'll be fine, don't worry about me." He said as he walked to the door and headed towards the bathroom, "Get going Naruto." He said as he grabbed a towel from the cupboard.

Naruto nodded and hovered into his room, he closed the door behind him and got undressed, "Where's the outfit Nee-chan got for me when she went out with Kin-chan?" he muttered to himself as he landed and placed his weapons on his bed.

Naruto looked at the small desk in the corner of his room and saw a pile of clothes there, a note sat on top of it. Naruto picked up the note and read:

_'Dear Naru-nii,_

_I thought this outfit would be cool and suit you well. It's not like your other outfits, I figured instead of having aspects of all the people you've absorbed, why don't you show off your arm gauntlet? It's a pretty good symbol for everything! also, since you are aiming to become an assassin, this outfit's colour is adjustable. If you channel a tad of chakra into the small bulb on the white side, it'll turn black and the same goes for the reverse. _

_Love you lots, if you like the outfit just tell me and I'll order more for you, don't worry about the price k?_

_Your Nee-chan, Sakura.'_

Naruto smiled as he read the note and pinned it on his wall with a small kunai, he stood back and smiled as he read it from a distance. He stopped admiring his new poster and decided to try on the new outfit.

Ten minutes later, Naruto walked out of his room admiring his completely new outfit.

It was a short-sleeved full body suit. The left side was completely white and the right was completely black, the colours ran down his legs. There was a hood attached to it's collar. On his chest there was a zig-zag pattern where the two colours met. The body suit was tight on the upper half of his body, wrapping tightly up and around his neck and met his skin tightly on his biceps. The necklace Tsunade gave him sat around his neck. He wore a dark grey belt that had a ninja pouch on both sides of his backside. On his lower back there was a small bulb on either side of his outfit. The lower portion of his outfit was baggy at the top then became skin tight around his shins. On his back he still wore his weapons sheath and his left arm was covered in his gauntlet and ring. His shoes were standard black ninja sandals, but they had a hole cut into the bottom so that the air-holes in his feet would work for flight. Over his right eye was the scoping seal Sasuke had made for him so see long distances. He no longer wore a mask, showing off his enlarged fangs and the whisker marks. He no longer wore the Chunnin vest, instead showing the red Uzumaki swirl on his chest.

Naruto leapt over the stairway rail and landed softly downstairs, he nodded as he affirmed the outfit's manoeuvrability. Hovering slightly, he left the house and sped towards the Hokage's office through the air. The tight upper portion stopped his clothes from flapping in the air and his flight was soundless other then the whistle of the wind funnels.

He tried his outfit's camouflage and his entire outfit other than the swirl on his chest became black, he then did the reverse and appeared white. He pulled the hood up and discovered it changed as well and could cover his entire head and down to his nose, covering his whole face except for his mouth in either hood or shadow. He smirked as he slowed to a halt outside the Hokage tower and flew up to the office window.

Naruto looked in and saw two Tsunades sitting at desks facing the windows and Hani Naara seemingly looking over their shoulders, even though her eyes were wrapped shut. A third Tsunade was sitting at her desk with Sarutobi, going over some large pieces of paper.

Naruto flew in through the open window on the right side of the office. "Heya Baa-chans, Jiji, Hani-sama!" he said as he barrel rolled through the air to hover right side up air crouching.

Tsunade and Sarutobi looked up while when the clones turned to answer, Hani grabbed their heads and turned them back to their work sheets. Hani just waved over her shoulder.

Tsunade sat straight, "Already back to see me Naru-chan?" she asked with an amused smirk.

Naruto shook his head, "Not really," he dodged a pen, "You said Jiji was in charge of mission assignments right?" he asked.

Hiruzen nodded and leaned back into his wheelchair, "Your team can't do a mission Naruto, two of them are incapacitated." He said.

Naruto nodded, "Yeah I know, I was wondering if I could lead my first mission as a Chunnin leader?" he asked hopefully.

Tsunade interrupted, "New threads Naruto?" she asked.

Naruto smiled, "Yes Ma'am!" he said as he stood in midair and posed while slowly rotating.

Tsunade and Hiruzen laughed at Naruto's show, while Hani turned and frowned, "Tsunade-chan, are you working or are you playing?" she asked.

Tsunade stopped laughing and looked back at the papers, "Working Hani." She answered as she pretended to fiddle with some sheets of paper.

Hani smiled and turned back to the clones.

Sarutobi wheeled himself around the desks to Naruto's side, "I have my own office next door, let's go see if we can find a suitable mission." He said as he wheeled past Naruto.

Naruto waved goodbye to Tsunade and hovered after him.

The two entered into Sarutobi's office, it was smaller than the Hokage's, but that might have been because of the five Sarutobis working to organise and rank all of the missions along the right half of the room.

The original Hiruzen rolled passed them all and stopped next to a basket labelled, 'C, Low chance.'

Naruto raised a brow, "What does the Low chance thing mean?" he asked.

Sarutobi smiled as he lifted out three scrolls, "It means there is a low chance that the mission will be bumped up anything more than one rank." He then rolled over to his desk which had it's back to the window that showed the eastern sector of the village.

He laid the scrolls out on the table, "These missions I think are suitable for you and those who you may choose to accompany you," he picked up the two scrolls on the left, "These missions can have up to five people in total, but if you choose to have four people accompany you on them, they must all be gennin. If you choose only Chunnin then you are allowed a maximum of two. Or you can do a mix that needs to be approved by myself. You get the standard pay rate determined by the time taken to do the mission, the mission parameters and the type," he then picked up the one on the right, "This mission is a simple delivery mission, you go yourself and you get paid depending on how fast you deliver, if you fail in any of these missions, you don't get paid." Hiruzen explained before leaning back again, "Feel free to read them over," he said as he pulled out a long pointer from beside his desk.

He let Naruto read as he turned to the wall to the left side of his office, he pulled a rope causing the curtains that covered the wall to open. The wall was covered in pictures of the ninjas of the village, underlined with their names and a small light. Some were lit up red while others were blue, some weren't lit up at all.

Naruto stopped his reading to look over all the pictures, "What's that Jiji?" he asked.

Hiruzen smiled, "This is the active ninja board, those whose light is turned red is currently in the village. Blue means they're in the village but unable to do a mission. Off means they are currently doing a mission." He explained.

Naruto looked over the faces in amazement, "This is awesome!" he said.

Sarutobi chuckled, "Yes it is. Have you chosen a mission Naruto?" he asked.

Naruto picked up the scroll in the middle, "Yeah, this Escort mission seems good. I can have four people join me right?" he asked as he searched for the currently available gennin.

Sarutobi nodded and used the pointer to push a lever, the wall rotated and suddenly it displayed all the gennin of the village. "Take your pick Naruto." He said.

Naruto looked for familiar names and chose in a matter of moments, "Okay, since we need to protect someone from possible attacks, I need at least one distanced sensor so we can counter attack," he muttered to himself, he spotted the remainders of Team eight and smiled, "Hinata and Shino to start." He said to Sarutobi, who wrote their names on the mission scroll.

Naruto then thought about the actual fight and protection, "Two combat specialists, preferably one distanced fighter…" his eyes lit up, "Tenten and Neji!" he decided.

Sarutobi wrote their names in the scroll and put the scroll in a slot in the wall, it fell downwards.

Sarutobi smiled, "Go gather your team, your mission scroll will be prepared for you at the front gate from midnight onwards. So I suggest leaving early tomorrow morning." He said.

Naruto smiled and nodded, suddenly the light bulbs under his team's name turned off, signifying they are being used for a mission. "So I go tell them now?" Naruto asked.

Sarutobi nodded, "You can tell them now or send out a message for them by messenger bird. In this situation, the messenger bird would be most suitable since the messages will be delivered within the hour and they'll be able to prepare. With missions that are A or S ranked, the Anbu messenger service will take care of it automatically and within five minutes." He explained.

Naruto nodded, "So how do I use the messenger service?" he asked.

Sarutobi pulled out a piece of paper, "Just write down the mission specs, who will be on the team and what time to meet at the gate. You can add any personal messages as well. Then you take it to the messenger bird's balcony," he noticed Naruto's blank look, "It's left as you leave my office, then take the second stairwell to the top. There should be someone there who can send it off for you. But make sure you tell him exactly who each one is for." Sarutobi explained.

Naruto picked up the piece of paper and read over it, "Mission Spec, the team, the time, the place and then send it off. Got it Jiji!" he said as he stood from his chair, "I'll cya later!" he yelled as he hovered out the door.

#########################################

*Knock Knock*

"Come in."

The door to the study was opened and the Hyuuga messenger bowed, "Good evening Hiashi-sama, I have a mission request for both Hinata-sama and Neji-san." She said as she placed the letters on his table.

Hiashi looked up from his paperwork and looked over to see the letters, he picked up the one on top and read through it, it read:

_'Dear Neji-san_

_I have drafted you for a mission since I know firsthand you are a top class fighter. Meet me and your team at the main village gate at 6.30 in the morning. I will give the team a rundown of the mission and their key roles. Remember 6.30._

_The team will consist of yourself, Tenten, Hinata and Shino under my command. _

_Signed Chunnin, Naruto Uzumaki._

_P.s. I'm ninety percent sure Hiashi-sama will be reading this before it gets to you, I want to suggest him something. Do you use clones for the tons of paperwork you have to do? Cause Hokage-Baa-chan is and I think it's kinda cheating.'_

Hiashi placed the letter back in its envelope and gave it along with Hinata's back to the messenger, "Please deliver them and inform the two that I approve." He said.

The messenger nodded and picked up the envelopes and bowed, "Right away Hiashi-sama." She said before running out of the room.

Hiashi took out an envelope from his draw and opened it, he scanned the contents before placing one of the pieces of paper on his table.

He slammed his head on the crudely drawn target, "Stupid!" *BAM* "STUPID!"

###############################################

"Shino."

"Yes father?"

"You have a mission."

"Thank you father."

Indeed, the Aburame is a clan of few words, the author thought as Shibi passed the letter to his son.

###############################################

*tink tink*

Tenten sat up and looked across her apartment to see a bird pecking on the window, she blinked in confusion before recognising it as a messenger bird.

Tenten ran over and opened her window, the bird flew around the room once before landing on the back of one of her dining chairs. She went to her cupboard and took out a cracker, the bird chirped as she placed it on the table in front of the bird.

She sent a small amount of chakra into the seal on the bird's leg holster, it was a storage seal.

She found a letter addressed to her, she opened it as she gave the bird a second cracker, it read:

_'Dear Ten-chan,_

_I have drafted you for a mission, it is my first mission as a Chunnin leader so I'll need the best I can get. And you're the perfect marksman, thus this letter :D.  
Meet myself and the rest of the team at 6.30 in the morning at the main gate of the village. At which point I will inform everyone about the mission details._

_The team will consist of yourself, Hinata, Shino and Neji._

_Signed Chunnin, Naruto Uzumaki._

_P.s. glad to see you again, haven't really talked since the forest of death tower.'_

Tenten blushed, 'He wants me?' she smiled as she petted the bird.

The bird chirped and she took it back to the window, it flew back to it's post. Tenten watched it fly off with a smile, then she gasped, "I better sharpen my best tools!" she said to herself as she ran to a cupboard and opened it up.

She ran in and the cupboard was actually a stairway, she went down and appeared in Dan's Ninja Store, "Uncle Dan won't mind if I borrow some more stuff." She said as she ran around grabbing some weapon maintenance tools.

########################################

Naruto hovered into Ichiraku's ramen stand as the sun was making its final descent, "Hey Old man! Can I get my family's usual to go and two extra beef?" he yelled.

Teuchi looked up and smiled, "Sure thing Naruto!" he said as he began to cook.

Ayame leaned over the counter, "Hey Naruto-kun, how are you?" she asked with a smile.

Naruto grinned back, "I'm great Ayame-chan! I have my first mission as a leader tomorrow so I'm a little nervous but really excited as well." He said as he scratched his head.

Ayame gasped, "Already? But your only just a Chunnin!" she said.

Naruto frowned, "Way to show some encouragement." He said.

Ayame laughed, "Naruto, I know you can and will do the mission safely. But I still worry sometimes." She said as she reached over and ruffled his hair, "Nice outfit by the way, I almost forgot just how wild your hair is." She said with a chuckle.

Naruto laughed as well, "I love it! Sakura-chan chose it for me and it's exactly what I need!" he said with a smile.

Teuchi yelled, "Order up!"

Ayame turned to him, "Hold on a sec Naruto," she said as she held the containers out for her father.

In a matter of moments, Naruto had twelve bowls of ramen in two bags, "Thanks guys! I'll tell Aniki you're gonna come over tomorrow Ayame-chan!" he said as he flew up over the opposite building and began to fly towards the Uchiha district again.

#######################################

Kin opened the door to see Naruto kicking off his shoes, "Hey Naruto-kun, that dinner?" she asked as he stepped inside.

Naruto nodded, "Yep! I got a bowl of ramen for each of you guys, two for sensei and five for me!" he said with a smile.

Kin took a bag and noticed there was twelve, "What about the other two?" she asked.

Naruto grinned, "Breakfast for tomorrow, I got two beef." He explained.

Kin chuckled as the two walked into the kitchen, Sasuke and Sakura were sitting next to each other. Naruto smiled, "Hey guys, how are you feeling?" he asked.

They turned and smiled, "I'm doing much better, I'm allowed to walk now and it feels fine. But sometimes if I bend too far I twinge of pain where I was cut." Sakura said as she stood up and helped Naruto with the food.

Sasuke just smirked, "Much better now, I already feel as though I could do a jutsu again." He said.

A wet napkin slapped him in the face, "Now Sasuke, I thought I made it clear about what would happen if you went against the doctor's orders?"

Naruto looked over to see Kakashi drying the dishes, "Kakashi-Ouji!" Naruto said in excitement, he hugged Kakashi around the chest.

Kakashi chuckled and patted Naruto's head, "Hello Naruto, how are you?" he asked.

Naruto stepped away from the hug and grinned, "I'm great! Did they tell you about the mission to get Baa-chan?" He asked.

Kakashi nodded, "Yes they did, I also had to explain some things to Sasuke about his limits." He said with an eye-smile.

Naruto raised a brow, "Limits?" he asked.

Sasuke scowled, "Yeah, sensei had me look over some things in the Hirashin seal, specifically, the blood seal portion." He said unhappily.

Naruto looked confused as he placed the ramen on the table, "Blood seal?" he asked.

Sasuke nodded, "You see, the Yondaime's technique was made to feed off of his bloodline. But since I don't share his blood I can never do the technique, it will react differently to mine while trying to force the technique to happen in the same way." He then smiled, "But, if I can find out what the specifications in MY blood can do, then I can create my own all new sealing technique." He said as he leaned onto his perched hands.

Naruto blinked, "His blood?" he asked.

Sasuke smiled, "Yep, and that means it'll work for YOU Otouto." He said.

Naruto's answering grin split his face, "YATTA!" he yelled as he threw his arms in the air.

Kakashi pushed Naruto into his seat and finished passing out the ramen bowls, "In that case, you'll need energy. Therefore: let's eat." He said as he began eating through his mask.

Kin watched the action with confusion, "What the..?"

Sakura just patted her shoulder, "Don't bother asking, we've tried." She said.

Sasuke swallowed a mouthful, "Tell you what Otouto, I'll finish taking apart the sealing array and give it to you in exchange for a favour, no matter what it is, deal?" he said.

Naruto smiled, "DEAL!" he yelled before he dug into his food at an unexplainable rate.

The family laughed at Naruto's actions before digging into dinner themselves.

############################

Chapter End.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter twenty four: My first mission!

Naruto arrived at the front gate as the sun was coming up, it was currently six twenty-five in the morning.

He walked up to the eternal gate guards and said, "Good morning, you guys got my mission?"

Izumo was snoring as he lay back in his chair, it was Kotetsu who tossed him the scroll, "Good luck on your first leading mission Naruto." He said.

Naruto smiled as he caught the scroll and double checked its contents, "Thanks Kotetsu! You can expect us back in about a week, probably a little earlier." Naruto said.

Kotetsu nodded before looking over Naruto's shoulder, Naruto turned to see Neji and Hinata.

Neji bowed, "Naruto-taicho." He said.

Naruto spluttered, "Uhh, don't call me that, just address me like you normally would." He said as he walked over to them.

Hinata smiled and stepped up to him, the two met in a hug, "Good morning Naruto-kun." She said with a light blush.

Naruto smirked and stepped out of the hug, "And to you Hinata-chan."

A swarm of enlarged Kikaichu gathered next to Neji, then dispersed to show Shino in a crouch. He stood and readjusted his glassed, "Good morning Naruto-taicho, I would like to thank you for the boost given to my families techniques. We now have a total of forty new techniques." He said.

Naruto smiled, "That's great Shino! But seriously, don't call me Captain." He said.

Naruto then looked back towards the village, "Now we're only waiting on Ten-chan." He murmured.

Hinata raised a brow, "Ten-_chan?_" she asked.

Naruto nodded, not realising the potential crap storm he just set up. "Yeah, she should be- "Good morning Taicho!"

Naruto looked to see Tenten jumping down from the village wall, "There you are! But don't call me taicho." He said with a smile.

Neji chuckled, "I don't think you can stop us taicho." He said with a smirk.

Naruto sighed, "Alright fine," he said before he stood tall, stepping into his 'leader' mode, "Listen up! I want you to follow after me in an open spearhead formation, Neji and Hinata will be on the outsides with their Byakugan scanning the area around us. If there is a potential threat, tell us and Shino will be first strike on the left, Tenten on the right and myself will handle the back and front. Got it?" he asked, everyone nodded. "I said DO YOU GET IT!?" he yelled.

"Hai taicho!" the four yelled in unison.

Naruto smirked and turned down the road, "Alright! Let's move out!" he ordered before he began to fly forward at a quick pace, the Hyuugas and Tenten running after him and surprisingly, Shino flew as well.

#######################################

Naruto landed in a clearing, "Alright guys, we'll camp here for tonight and head off early tomorrow, we'll be there around midday so we'll make it with plenty of time to spare." He said.

All the gennin except for Shino landed behind him, panting heavily. Tenten spoke, "Taicho-kun, there was a restaurant and hotel just two miles back, why didn't we stop there?" she asked between breathes.

Naruto smirked and formed some hand seals, "Wood style: Traveller's Den!" he announced as he stomped the ground.

Neji and Tenten's jaws hit the floor as a wooden hut rose from the ground, "How the hell did you do that!" The two of them yelled.

Shino and Hinata, who had both witnessed these skills before just walked into the hut calmly and admired the inside, Neji and Tenten followed behind as Naruto explained that he learned wood style jutsu from a 'dormant blood cell'…

########################################

Team Naruto landed at a coastal town, "Alright, we he arrived ahead of schedule, so we have two hours til we're needed at the Daimyo's home. Any suggestions?" Naruto asked as he stopped his hovering and the group began walking around town.

Shino adjusted his glasses, "It would be logical to locate the Daimyo's premises first, then find suitable lunch for the team to ensure we are prepared for a long challenge." He said.

Naruto looked at Shino and blinked, "…Shino, your my second in command." He said as he jumped onto a nearby building.

The others followed, but Shino once again flew up into the air and landed gently, Neji asked, "Shino-san, how is it that you seem to be floating?"

Shino stood tall a lifted his left sleeve, there was a bracelet with a seal imprinted on it, "Sasuke-san gave me a modified anti-gravity seal, and from the inside of my body, a team of thee Kikaichu are able to lift my weightless body and manoeuvre it as though I am capable of flight." Shino explained as she pulled his sleeve back down.

Tenten shivered at the thought, "That's kinda creepy." She said.

Naruto scoffed, "Says the girl who keeps a Katana sealed in her underpants." He mumbled.

Tenten blushed while Hinata stared openly, "HOW WOULD YOU KNOW THAT?!" they both yelled.

Naruto and Neji stepped away in shock and Shino cleaned his ringing ear, "It was a joke, geez." Naruto replied after a moment to recover.

Neji coughed lightly, turning everyone's attention to him, "The Daimyo's house?" he asked.

Naruto nodded, "Oh yeah," he turned to Shino, "Shino, use your bugs to scan the districts nearby to look for signs of chakra. Apparently this Daimyo has two ninja guards so you should be able to find them. As soon as you get the trace, transport Neji to that area and he'll locate it with his Byakugan." Naruto said with a smile.

Shino adjusted his glasses, "That is a magnificent idea for tracking down a hiding ninja taicho, but wasn't the address of his palace written in the mission scroll?" he asked.

Naruto blinked before turning to his 'navigator' "Umm, is it?" he asked to Hinata.

She took the scroll from her pouch and looked at it with her Byakugan, not even bothering to open it, "It's number one on coastal avenue in the south district." She said with a soft smile.

Naruto smiled sheepishly, "Okay, guess we'll just head there then…" he said as he began to lift off, he paused before landing again, "Actually, as my second in command, do you have any more suggestions?" Naruto asked Shino.

Shino nodded, "If I send ten of my Kikaichu to the location for the each of us, then I can transport us each there instantly. If this tactic is chosen, it would be logical to go find some lunch while we wait." He said.

Naruto smiled, "I'm so glad you guys are on my team." He said as he rested his hands behind his head, "So, any suggestions for food?" he asked.

Tenten spoke up, "My uncle use to do trading here, there is a top class Noodle restaurant overlooking the water near the tourism docks in the central district." She said.

Naruto grinned widely, "Noodles? As in ramen?" he asked.

Tenten chuckled flirtatiously, causing Hinata to frown slightly, "Of course there is silly." She said.

Naruto grinned, thinking he did something funny, "Hehe, awesome! Shino, let those bugs loose! Let's go get some Ramen!" he said as he flew over to the central district.

The others followed after him, Shino sending a few super Kikaichu towards the address spoken.

##############################

Neji shut down his Byakugan, "I've found it. It's just a few blocks that way." He said pointing down the coastline.

Naruto nodded, "Let's get going then." He said.

Everyone began walking but Hinata grabbed Naruto's hand, "Naruto-kun, can I talk to you for a moment please?" she asked with a sad look on her face.

Naruto saw her expression and broke a little inside, "Of course Hinata-chan. Guys, go on ahead." He ordered as he picked Hinata up in a hug and flew onto a nearby rooftop.

Tenten looked on confused, and a little hurt, "Wait, what?" she asked Neji as she watched the two fly off in each other's embrace.

Shino placed a hand on both Neji and Tenten's shoulders, a pulse of chakra enveloped the two before Shino flew towards the restaurant, dragging the two behind him as if they were much lighter.

He landed and turned to Tenten, "We will get a table. We will get menus. You may ask questions and I will do my best to answer. You will not disturb the two of them." He said in his normal monotone, but there was something…intimidating about it.

Tenten just nodded while Neji followed along with his brow raised in confusion.

##############################################

Naruto landed and sat down, pulling Hinata onto his lap. Hinata-chan, what's wrong?" he asked with a worried tone as he hugged her.

Hinata held Naruto's face and looked into his eyes, "Naruto-kun, do you love me?" she asked.

Naruto smiled and snuggled into her neck, causing her to giggle, "Of course I do Hinata-chan. If there is anything in this world I'm absolutely sure about, it's that I love you." He said.

Hinata blushed and smiled, "Okay then, just checking." She said.

He pulled away from his snuggling and looked her in the eyes, "Why do you ask Hinata-chan?"

She bit her lip, "Well, to me it seemed like you might have been, y'know, flirting earlier with Tenten?" her voice rose until it was high pitched as she twisted the answer into it's own question.

Naruto blinked in confusion, "Flirting? Sorry if I was, I'm not really sure about how to flirt, so I guess I might've been. Sorry if it made you jealous Hinata-chan." He said.

Hinata blushed again, "I-I wasn't jealous! I was just worried, I don't want to lose you Naruto-kun…" she mumbled softly.

Naruto held her tighter and kissed her cheek, "You never will, I swear on my nindo." He said.

Hinata smiled before sighing, "But, I will have to share you won't I?" she asked softly.

Naruto froze and pulled away from the hug, "So…you know then?" he asked with a frown.

Hinata smiled softly, "It's okay Naruto-kun, it's not your fault. You have to revive two clans, I can handle your…procreating, with other women. I just, well I guess it's just me being selfish." She said.

Naruto held her hand as he leaned back into the hug, "But, I'm not sure I can even…do it, I mean how can I love you and be intimate with another person? It'll still feel like betraying you, even if it's apparently 'ok'." he said with a scowl.

Hinata sighed as she thought on the subject, "W-well, you still have a few years to decide who you want. Maybe we'll both be able to agree on some women?" she said with a smile, trying to lighten his mood.

Naruto grinned back at her and took her lips in a quick kiss, "Ne, Hinata-chan, did I mention you're the best?" he asked.

She laughed at his question and kissed him in return, "It wouldn't hurt you to say it more often." She said.

Naruto lifted Hinata up bridal style, "I better start saying it every day then!" he placed her lightly on her feet, "I'll let you choose my future wives then ok? I know it'll be easier if I have your approval." He said.

Hinata tilted her head in thought before nodding, "I guess that's ok, if I have to share you it may as well be with someone I could like as well…" she trailed off at the thought.

Naruto blushed as he imagined him Hinata and another girl…'liking' each other. "Hehehehehe," he chuckled perversely under his breath.

Hinata looked at him, not realising the implications of her words, "What's so funny Naruto-kun?" she asked.

Naruto stopped his chuckling and hugged Hinata again, swinging her in the air, "Nothing Hinata-chan! I'm just happy that this worked out! I had no idea how to go about telling you this." He said as he swung her up above his head.

Hinata laughed at Naruto's playfulness, "Anything to make my Naruto-kun happy." She said between laughs.

Naruto placed her on her feet and faced his back to her, pulling his hood over his face as he crouched, "Want a lift?" he asked.

Hinata grinned and hopped onto his back, using his sword handle as a type of reigns she yelled, "Mush!"

He chuckled as he launched the two of them high into the air, he sent chakra to a bulb on his back and the two became a white blur as they flew up into the clouds… only for Hinata to yell out, "What about the team?"

He stopped the flow of chakra to his feet and the two began to freefall, "You're right Hinata-chan!" he yelled over the wind as they began to fall towards the restaurant, "Hold on tight!"

################################################

_Earlier, with Neji, Tenten and Shino_

"Can I get you anything to drink while you wait?" the waiter said as the trio sat at a booth.

Shino spoke, "A herbal tea please."

"Just some water for me thank you." Neji said.

Tenten nodded, "Can I have a tea as well? Ginseng?" she asked.

The waiter nodded, "Got it, I'll be back in a moment." He said as he put his order pad into his apron and walked away.

Tenten turned to Shino, "just how close are those two?" she asked with a hint of anger in her voice.

Neji slid away from her slightly, now knowing just how dangerous she can be after she 'helped' him train for the Chunnin exams, 'No more pointies,' he chanted in his thoughts as he shuffled away.

Shino answered calmly, "Naruto-taicho and Hinata-san are in love with each other, and as far as I know, they intend to marry once the both of them reach eighteen." He said.

Tenten looked hurt at Shino's answer and looked down sadly, "Oh, I thought he…liked me." She mumbled softly.

Shino spoke, "Ask me about Naruto's family."

Neji and Tenten looked at him in confusion, "Umm, okay. Who is part of Naruto's family?" Tenten asked in confusion.

Shino shook his head, "Biological or adopted?" he asked.

Neji's brow furrowed, "I thought his biological family was…well gone." He said.

Tenten's eyes lit up in realisation, "Who was Naruto's biological parents?" she asked.

Shino nodded, "As clan heir, I have been informed that Naruto's mother and father were Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki." He said, perfectly calm.

Tenten and Neji stared at Shino in shock, "N-Namikaze?" Neji asked.

Shino nodded, "The Fourth Hokage." He answered.

Tenten sat gobsmacked before realisation once again hit her like a tonne of bricks, "So he has to revive the Namikaze clan right? Has the council ordered the Clan Restoration act?" she asked.

Shino put a hand on the desk and bugs spelled the word, 'Yes'. "I am not allowed to speak of it." he said as he pulled the bugs back to his core.

Tenten blushed at the thought of being able to be with Naruto, until she realised she would have to share him, "So, the only way I can be with him would be if I…shared?" she asked sceptically.

Neji nodded, eyes wide in confusion. "It would appear so Tenten." He mumbled as he thought of his 'sister' having to leave the clan just to be with Naruto.

Shino looked out the window to the group's left, "It would be logical to approach Hinata first and discuss it with her Tenten. I recommend before we return to the village," Tenten blinked at his blatant callousness, "Enough now. They're almost here." He ordered.

The other two looked out the window and saw Naruto's outfit turn to it's normal colour as he landed on the opposite building's roof. The two of them leapt into an alleyway before casually walking into plain sight over to the establishment.

Tenten bit her lip, 'Do I like him THAT much? And would Hinata even say yes?' she thought as Neji raised a hand to a waitress.

She came over and asked, "What can I do for you?"

Shino spoke, "Two friends of ours are about to enter your establishment, could you please inform them of our positioning?" he asked.

"Umm, yeah sure." She said as she looked at Shino as if she thought him crazy.

She walked off to welcome Naruto and Hinata as their original waiter came back, holding their drinks. "Okay, Herbal tea for you," he said as he placed the teacup and a small pot down, "Water for you," he placed Neji's tall glass of water down, "and a Ginseng Tea for the Lady." He said with a wink as he licked his lips while placing Tenten's beverage in front of her.

Tenten frowned, 'Geez, what a creeper. I wonder if most men are like that.' She thought as she compared the man in front of her to Naruto.

It was at that moment Naruto and Hinata walked in holding hands, he sat down next to Shino, purposefully as far from Tenten as he could. Hinata sat next to Tenten as the group shuffled so everyone could fit.

The waiter appraised Hinata, before shaking his head and saying, "Are you all ready to order? Or do you need a few more minutes?"

Naruto waved him off, "Give us a few minutes."

The waiter nodded and left, "So what's good guys?" he asked as he picked up the menu that only Nejihad actually looked at.

Tenten looked over at Naruto and smiled, "My uncle said that for a noodle shop, their seafood was top notch." She explained.

Naruto passed the menu to Shino, "In that case, three seafood ramen!" he announced to himself with a grin.

Hinata watched as Tenten laughed with Naruto, 'well, maybe Tenten would be a good choice? I'm not quite sure what I'm supposed to look for in this situation.' She thought with a soft smile.

Tenten had just been given the menu but she passed it straight to Hinata, "Here Hinata-chan, what do you want?" she asked with a smile, trying to get on Hinata's good side.

Hinata smiled and looked over the menu, "Umm, I guess I'd like some vegetable ramen." She said.

Tenten nodded, "Sounds good." She said with a friendly smile.

The waiter came back, "Are you ready to order now?" he asked.

Naruto nodded, "Yep, three Seafood Ramen for me please, a Tempura noodle dish for Neji, the noodle soup for Shino, the Yaki Soba for Tenten, and a Vegetable ramen for Hinata." He said, "Also, can Hinata-chan and I get some water?" he asked.

The waiter nodded as he finished writing the order, "Alright that'll probably be about fifteen minutes wait. I'll get your drinks for you now." He said as he once again walked off.

Naruto turned to the table, donning a serious look, "Alright, Hinata-chan, what is the main directory of this mission?" he asked.

Hinata pulled out the mission scroll and placed it on the table, "We are to protect a runner during his ten hour race and help him if he comes across anything he can't handle." She said.

Naruto nodded, "Correct," he turned to Shino, "What do you think the best defensive formation would be?" he asked.

Shino adjusted his glasses, "I would suggest Hinata in front, to scan with her Byakugan, Neji at the rear for the same reason," he used his bugs on the table to demonstrate, showing the 'client' as well as Hinata and Neji, "Tenten and myself will be on the client's two flanks, and you will be out of site up in the air. Every strike team from the front we defend ourselves against will be spotted by Hinata, attacked from a distance by Tenten and I while Neji defends the client, then you fall in to finish it. every team attacking from behind will be handled in the same way except switching Hinata and Neji obviously." He said as he used his bugs to show the layout plan.

Naruto nodded, "That's a perfect plan, but you're forgetting one major factor, can anyone tell me what it is?" he asked.

The team sat in silence.

Naruto smirked, "As you all know, the race goes from the coast to an island, that means for a portion of the actual race, we will be on the water. That opens up to the possibility of underwater attacks, as well as giving us the restrictions of a boat since the civilian racer we'll be guarding probably can't water-walk. Any more ideas?" he asked.

Neji raised his hand, "While on the boat, I can take watch for any surrounding attacks, with Shino and Tenten there to guard with me. You and Hinata can venture ahead in secret and see if there are any boats in our path, on the way back, Hinata can use her Byakugan to scan under the water as well." He said.

Naruto nodded, "So we have a great plan for on land and on water. But what if we get separated?" Naruto asked.

Tenten blinked, "Why would we be separated?" she asked.

Naruto sighed, "It's a race isn't it? Our main purpose is to make sure he gets to his goal safely and quickly. Therefore, we can't stop for each fight. So, who should go on ahead and who should stay behind?" he asked.

Shino lifted his head, "While on foot, Neji and Taicho are the fastest. Therefore, they should be the ones to stay behind so that they can catch up quickly. Also, Hinata and myself already learned three defensive strategies as a team, if we explain them to Tenten she should be able to fill in the role of…the third person." He said, hesitating to say Kiba's name.

Naruto nodded, "Perfect. So, does everyone understand the plan?" he asked.

The team nodded as Naruto repeated anyway, "On land, we'll be in a diamond formation leading with Hinata. On water, there will be myself and Hinata as a scouting party and Neji, Tenten and Shino as defensive players. In a battle situation, Neji and myself will be the ones to stay behind. I just want to add one thing," everyone paused in their nodding as they refocussed, "Shino, this Bug teleport thing, can it work in reverse?" he asked.

Shino nodded, "If I have ten bugs on a person, at least two of them my enhanced Kikaichu, I can swap myself with their position in less than a second." He explained.

Naruto nodded, "If we do get separated, can you place ten of your bugs on me and ten more on Neji? That way if you guys run into trouble, you can pull us to your position. Right?" he asked.

Shino nodded, "That is correct." He confirmed.

Naruto smiled, just as the waiter arrived with their meals, "Here it is!" he said with a smile.

The meals were passed around and Naruto held up his glass, "To a successful mission!" he toasted.

The others raised their drinks and clinked them in the air before taking a sip and digging into their meals.

################################

Two guards stood in front of a massive gate of the Wasabi Mansion, they looked to be standing at attention, but if one looked closely, they would see that the both of them seemed closer to sleeping on their feet.

The guard on the left blinked at what looked to be a big bug, he waved it away and watched as it flew to the bottom of the steps. He stared as many of the same type of bug swarmed together.

The two guards now stared as the swarm pulled tightly together before dispersing in a ring revealing a smirking Naruto and his team.

Naruto saluted, "We are the escort squad from Konoha, The leader of the Wasabi requested us." he said as he waved for Hinata to pull out the mission scroll.

The guards looked at each other, "Umm, ok." One said while the other shrugged.

Naruto just blinked at the guards, "That means we want to talk to the leader of the Wasabi?" he hinted.

The other guard nodded, "Oh, okay yeah. Lemme go ask." He said as he turned and knocked on a little window on the gate.

The team looked at each other sharing the same thought of: 'there security is shit.'

The window opened, "Hey man, wassup?" a voice said from the other side.

The guard spoke, "Well, them ninjas that are gonna look after Idate are here and their leader guy wants to talk to Jirocho-sama"

The voice replied, "Oh, okay. I guess I'll go ask, can they wait?"

Naruto nodded as the guard looked at him, "Sure they can." The guard said.

"Kay, be back in one." the voice said before the window closed.

Neji whispered, "Are they serious?"

Naruto whispered back, "I think so, in this case, I reckon it'll be easy enough to get the meeting over and done with."

Hinata spoke up, "Taicho-kun, maybe only some of us should be here for this then? The others could find us a place to stay for the night." She said.

Naruto tilted his head in thought, "I agree. In that case, Shino and Hinata will stay with me for the meeting since as clan heirs, they hold a high image. Neji and Tenten, find us a place to stay. Actually, you guys wanna scout out the starting point for the race?" Naruto ordered.

Neji smirked, "Hai taicho, we'll do both." He said.

Naruto nodded and the two turned and began to ninja sprint up the coastline towards the starting line and the central district.

Naruto smiled lightly as Hinata and Shino stood next t him, "This should be over fast." Naruto mumbled as the window opened again.

The voice from behind the window yelled out, "Yeah you're all good, come on in."

The gate opened and Naruto led the way as the three entered the complex, they followed a height challenged man through the large complex and to the room of the Daimyo.

############################

Naruto stepped out of the room with a tall teen by his side, "So, Idate, just how fast are you?" he asked.

Idate ignored Naruto and walked ahead, Hinata and Shino stood next to their captain, "He appears to dislike us." Shino said.

Idate glared over his shoulder, "I despise all ninja." He said with malice before turning away and continuing walking.

Naruto blinked, "Well he's dramatic." He mumbled.

Idate turned again, "I can hear you moron." He said while glaring at Naruto.

Naruto shivered, pretending to be intimidated by the glare, "Oh no, some kid is looking at me! Help me Hinata-chan!" he said mockingly as he latched onto Hinata's arm.

Hinata just giggled and held Naruto's arm while Shino took a step forward, "Even if you despise us, it would be logical for you to come with us so that we may discuss the best protection for you." He said.

Idate snorted, "I don't need your help." He said as he turned away again.

Shino's head tilted as he spoke, "If that's the case, why is it that the person that trusts you more than anyone here hired us to protect you?" he questioned.

Idate stiffened and looked at the ground, Shino continued, "I apologise if you feel uncomfortable around us, but it is only logical that you get used to us. Come with us so that you at least have a say in what is going to be happening during the race." Shino finished.

Idate stood still with his fists clenched, "Fine." He growled out.

He felt a soft hand grasp his arm, "Thank you Idate-san, I'm sorry for causing you all this trouble." Hinata said with a smile.

Idate blushed and lost his anger, "Ugh, sure thing miss." He muttered as Hinata dragged him through the village, towards the center.

Naruto frowned as he stood next to Shino, "Maybe I should let you guys handle him ne?" he said.

Shino nodded, "It would be logical, but I feel as though something else may be problematic about this situation." He said as he gestured to their right with a nod.

Naruto looked and saw a ninja dressed in yellow pj's jumping away across the roof tops. "You get a bug on him?" Naruto asked.

Shino adjusted his glasses as the two began to walk after Hinata and their client, "Obviously." He said.

########################################

Neji sat back, leaning away from the large piece of paper sitting on the table in the middle of the lounge room of the small apartment he and Tenten had purchased for the night, "…and that's all we found out." He said, finishing his explanation of the layout of the beginning of the track.

Naruto nodded and turned to the team's charge, "Once again, how fast are you?" he asked.

Idate looked up at him and smirked, "Faster than any damn gennin." He said mockingly.

Naruto chuckled, as did Neji and Tenten, "sure you are, now seriously, how fast are you?" Tenten asked.

Idate glared, "Faster than you." He said as he sat taller, "What makes you think you're all so much faster than me?" he said.

Naruto shrugged, "Actually, you very well could be faster than any of us, but ANY gennin? No way, I know two people who only just became Chunnin and they can both ran at the speed of sound." Naruto said.

Neji nodded, "When Lee first opened the Hachimon, he was fast enough to lap Konoha in eighteen seconds."

Tenten nodded, "Yeah, now if he could actually follow his own movements he'd truly be unstoppable." She said.

Idate cut in, "My point being was that I'm pretty damn fast!" he said angrily.

Hinata placed a hand on his shoulder, "Please don't be angry at us, it is just that we know people who are very fast. It is unlikely a civilian is close to that speed." She said with the same smile she used before.

Idate instantly calmed down, "Right, sorry Hinata-san." He said with a small frown.

She patted his shoulder once more before sitting back, "Maybe we should have a small race to check how fast you are in comparison to us?" she said.

Shino nodded, "Hinata-san's idea is the most logical." He said.

Naruto nodded, "Alright, how far do you run Idate?" he asked.

Idate straightened up proudly, "I run to the outpost and back every morning." He said.

Naruto nodded, "Okay, we'll do that now. By the time we get back it should be near dinner time." He said as he stood up.

Idate smirked, "Alright, rules?" he asked as he stood, along with the gennin.

Naruto looked to Shino, who nodded, "We must place one hand on the wall of the outpost gate and return to the lobby of this establishment. Using only a method of travel, no instantaneous movement jutsus to be allowed." Shino said.

The group nodded as they walked out the door, Idate smirked as the group entered the hotel lobby, "By the way, I learnt to run with a ninja's steps." He said.

Naruto smirked, "Now this will be interesting." He mumbled as the six of them stepped outside.

They got into a line and Idate made the countdown, "3, 2, 1, GO!" he yelled as he propelled himself from a classic sprinter's position.

He looked to his side, expecting to see the others in his dust, but was shocked to see who easily kept up with him.

Naruto and Shino both flew by his sides, quite easily judging by the lack of effort they seemed to be exerting, Idate glanced back to see Neji a few steps behind him and Hinata on his tail. The only person he seemed to be faster than by a large margin was Tenten, and she was only a few meters behind him as well.

Idate sent chakra to his feet and began to propel himself faster, managing to outrun Hinata and Tenten, though Neji just did the same with his chakra, and Shino and Naruto just flew by his side still.

Naruto stopped flying and began to run on his feet, he only took one step to Idate's five, but with his adamantine power flowing through his legs, he managed to be slightly faster. "Hehehe, Come on Idate!" Naruto yelled as he started to gain ground.

Shino took over him as well, but he was flying still. Idate smirked at the challenge and began sprinting at full speed, "I will win!" he said determinedly.

#############################

_Later that night, _

Team Naruto and Idate had finished the race, with Naruto in first, Idate and Shino tied for second and Neji in fourth, the two girls thought the challenge was boring after a few minutes and turned back, deciding there was more constructive things to do.

The six of them had just exited from a restaurant when Naruto spoke up, "Alright, I think it's time we all turn in, big day tomorrow." He said with a smile.

Idate nodded, "Jirocho-sama said that you'd all meet me at the compound?" he asked.

Neji nodded, "That's the plan, meet you there at eight in the morning, arrive at the track startline at quarter to nine, then race." He re-explained for Idate's sake.

Idate nodded, "Alright, cya then." He said as he turned and began walking away.

Naruto whispered, "I'll make sure he gets home safe. You four go back to the room, Shino, explain to the others what you saw today and discuss a strategy." He ordered.

Shino nodded, "Hai taicho." He said before the team ninja hopped back to their apartment.

Naruto flew up into the night sky and camouflaged himself black, he followed along behind Idate towards the compound, his zoom lens seal activated so that he may see everything from his height.

Idate was almost back safe when another ninja in the yellow pj's ran from an alleyway and charged at Idate.

Naruto acted instantly and shot a bone bullet at the Kunai in the ninja's hand, the Kunai was knocked from the ninja's grasp with a loud clang.

Idate turned at the sound and saw the stumbling ninja, his eyes widened as the ninja faced him.

He froze as the ninja stood and pulled out another Kunai,

*BANG*

Naruto landed foot first from his fall right onto the ninja's back, knocking him to the ground and creating a small crater, "GO IDATE!" Naruto yelled.

Idate stared, frozen in shock and some fear.

Naruto, whose hood hid his face, stared at the bandaged face of his captive, 'A Rain headband, but this guy is someone else, not the one we saw earlier today, a gennin team?' Naruto thought before kicking the ninja away and backing up in a defensive stance.

The ninja stood with a wince, and two more ninja in the same stupid outfit stepped out of the shadow, Naruto recognised the one on the right to be the one Shino currently has a Kikaichu hidden on, 'Alright, that's a small mission for tonight.' Naruto thought.

The middle ninja stepped forward, "We are team Oboro, give us Idate and we won't kill you." The guy, Oboro, said.

Naruto chuckled, "Answer me one question and I'll consider it." Naruto said with a smirk.

Idate's eyes widened, "Y-You'd betray me that easily?" he asked in shock.

Naruto smirked over his shoulder and whispered, "Shut up! I will get you home safe I promise."

Idate took a step back at the bloodlust in Naruto's eyes, Naruto turned back to Team Oboro, "Will you answer my question?" Naruto repeated.

Oboro nodded, "Sure thing, Konoha Trash." He said with malice.

Naruto smirked, the bloodlust in his eyes growing "Will you be protecting Idate's competitor tomorrow?"

The three laughed, "Yeah, along with our sensei. Now move, or we'll kill you!" Oboro said as he took a step forward.

Naruto just stood straight and turned to Idate, "Hold on." He said with a wink as he held out his hand.

Oboro charged with his kunai, hoping to strike Naruto from behind. Idate grasped Naruto's hand with a small smirk of his own.

Naruto swung Idate like a rag doll and idate's knee connected with Oboro's face, knocking him back. "Syke!" Naruto yelled as he held a hand sign.

The area was enveloped in mist and before anyone from Team Oboro knew it, Naruto and Idate were gone.

#########################

Naruto landed lightly in the courtyard of the Wasabi complex, he placed Idate on his feet, "Good thing you're such a good runner, that impact might've injured someone else." Naruto said with a smile.

Idate just nodded and walked inside, "I'll see you tomorrow." He mumbled.

Naruto smiled until the door closed behind Idate, instantly his expression became hard and he flew into the air, he faced the hotel and clapped his hands in front of him, "Motion Sickness!" he yelled.

He propelled through the air at mach speeds and within four seconds he was above the hotel. Stopping his chakra flow, Naruto fell towards the hotel and pulsed his chakra twice, landing on his room's window sill he opened it to hear the end of Shino's speech, "….I can track the target as long as my bug is on him." Shino spoke as Naruto sat inside.

Hinata noticed the seriousness on his face, "Taicho-kun?" she asked.

Naruto kneeled between Neji and Shino, "Idate was attacked on the way home. They won't strike him in the compound, but Shino. I want you to attack them now." Naruto said.

Neji raised a brow, "By himself?" Neji asked.

Naruto shook his head, "Sorry, my plan got ahead of my mouth. I want Shino's bugs to find the location of the three gennin and drain their chakra throughout the night, at a slow pace though so that they won't notice. I'm assuming the Jonin sensei is protecting the competitor first hand so most likely the gennin are by themselves. I know you will be tired for the race then Shino, are you ok with that?" Naruto asked.

Shino nodded, "Thank you for your concern, but I will not be tired as I can set one of my evolved Queens to be in charge of this operation and I will only be woken up if a problem ensues with the mission." Shino said.

Naruto grinned, "Perfect! In that case, we're changing the overall plan just a little! Shino, you get started while I explain…"

############################

_9.55am, the Tokoroki Gate_

"You ready Idate?" Naruto asked as he stood next to Idate, who was stretching his legs.

Idate raised a brow, "It's a bit late to ask that don't you think?" he said as the whistle went off.

Naruto stepped into the shadows as Idate stepped up to the starting line, Jirocho placed his hand on his shoulder, "Do me proud Idate." He ordered with a soft smile.

Idate nodded and watched as Hikyakuya Fukusuke stepped away from a crowd of people, he got a glance of the yellow wearing ninjas running towards the water, 'Wow, that Shino guy sure is smart.' Idate thought as he stood next to his opponent.

A man raised his arm into the air, "Runners! Listen up!" he yelled, causing the crowd to quiet.

He spoke again, "Once the gates open the whole way, I will blow this whistle! When you hear it you may start! Got it?!" the dude with the whistle yelled.

Idate and his Fukusuke nodded as they both starting positions, a nearby clock struck nine and the gates began to open, Idate looked at the clouds and smirked.

The gate opened completely and the whistle was blown as both racers sprang into action, but to many people's surprise, Idate took a few steps forward and began sprinting up the coast.

People of the Wasabi clan gasped and yelled in frustration and anger as they watched Idate disappear into the distance. Jirocho stood with a frown until he saw Naruto flying after his runner, 'Naruto…help him win.' Was his only thought before the two were out of sight.

################################

Naruto caught up to Idate and began running by his side, "So the wind changed like you said?" he asked.

Idate nodded, "If I'm lucky, the speed boost from the wind against my sails will be enough to push me to the island twice as fast as him. If I'm unlucky, the wind change will bring a storm that I get caught up in." he said as he took a few deep breaths, "Let me breathe, I need to run." He said before running at full speed.

Naruto smiled as he kept up with his client, 'The plan is working fine.' He thought as the two continued running.

Not thirty minutes later, Neji appeared in the distance. Eventually, the two caught up to him and he began keeping up with them using chakra in his steps, "Taicho, a field Genjutsu has been set up ahead of us. You must enter it before you can be dispelled from it." he said as he de-activated his Byakugan.

Naruto nodded, "Good work, how about the rest of the way?" he asked.

"Other than a cliff, the track is clear. It seems as though the person who casted the Genjutsu was over confident in themselves, or they underestimated us." Neji said.

Naruto nodded, "Alright, go to the boat and set it up. How far away is it Idate?" Naruto asked.

Idate leapt over a rock as he spoke, "Only about three miles from the bottom of the cliff, it'll take about an hour to run down the cliff's footpath but then it's a straight shot to the beach." He said as he began picking up speed.

Naruto nodded to Neji, "Go!" he ordered.

Neji nodded and leapt into the trees, using the tree hopping technique, he easily gained ground and began to disappear in the distance.

Naruto ran ahead of Idate as he felt the tiniest pulse of chakra enter his senses, "Damn, that is a good Genjutsu." He said.

Idate looked around, "We're already in it?" he asked.

Naruto pulsed his chakra and released the Genjutsu over him, he screeched to a halt and stopped looking over the massive cliff, "That was close." He muttered.

Idate ran straight passed him and off the edge of the cliff, he yelled in fear as he plummeted, "Maybe I spoke too soon." Naruto mumbled as he dove off of the cliff.

Naruto caught up to him quickly and flew underneath Idate, 'I may not be allowed to give him a boost in the race, but saving his life while accidently cutting off some of his run? I can do.' Naruto thought as he formed a few hand signs and sent out his wood chakra.

He manipulated the palm trees underneath him to grow, bend and stretch, making a make-shift slide from their position back to the path at the bottom of the cliff face.

Naruto cheered as he landed on the 'slide' and slid down quickly, Idate followed behind him still screaming.

Naruto pushed off at the end of the slide and floated with arms downwards, he grasped Idate's forearms and threw him onto his feet, "RUN IDATE RUN!" he yelled with a chuckle.

Idate stumbled as he landed but managed to straighten himself and began running, after a few steps he began laughing, "That was exhilarating!" he cheered as he laughed.

Naruto flew next to him and laughed, "Yeah, wanna do another two-hundred meter high slide some time?" he joked.

Idate ducked under a low branch and pushed chakra to his feet, "Hell yes!" he yelled.

Naruto watched as Idate propelled himself forward at remarkable speed, especially for a civilian, with a smile, 'I kinda doubted him for a while, but maybe he's more than I thought he was worth.' Naruto thought.

About an hour and a half later, Idate was within view of the beach. Naruto propelled himself forward as he waved to Neji and an old man, "Ready?!" he yelled.

Neji looked up from his conversation and began running towards a small sailboat, he began pushing it out into the water as the two neared.

Idate waved to the old man, "Thank yo-OOH!" he yelled as Naruto grabbed his airborne arm and threw him forward.

Neji had just set the boat off of the coastline and he turned around, Idate landed on him and knocked the two to the floor of the vessel.

Naruto landed and pulled the two to their feet, "Get sailing Idate!" he ordered as he pushed Neji towards the bow off the boat.

The two scrambled to action and within moments, the three boys were sailing across the sea towards the Todoroki Shrine, the wind on their sails and Neji scouting with his Byakugan.

#################################

"That is their ship." Shino said as he pointed to a small boat on the horizon.

Hinata activated her Byakugan and focused all her vision forward, "Their chakra is only at a tenth of their capacity at best, this should be easy." Hinata said as she de-activated her Byakugan and stepped behind the sails.

Tenten took handle of the small vessel's fin and handed one end of a long piece of ninja wire to Hinata, "Ready Hinata?" she asked.

Hinata nodded as Shino lifted her up into the air and threw her downwards with as much force as he could, Hinata began to spin as fast as she could, "KAITEN!" she yelled.

The spinning ball of blue chakra slammed into the water and made a large wave, easily twice the size of the boat.

Shino landed on the boat as Tenten began to steer the boat onto the wave, successfully catching the wave as if she were steering a surfboard.

Tenten laughed as the boat was pushed forward at immense speeds, she looked over her shoulder and yelled out, "How you doin' Hinata-chan?!"

Hinata slid towards the boat, using an extension of the water walking technique to catch the wave herself and 'surf' on the spot. She pulled herself towards the vessel with the ninja wire, "I'm fine thanks Ten-chan." She said as she finally grasped the back corner off the boat and was hauled in by Shino.

Shino looked out towards the enemy's boat as they passed the halfway mark on their collision course, "Aburame Secret Jutsu: Bug Boulder Blitz." He ordered as he set up his distraction.

############################

On the ambush boat of the rain gennin, the three stared towards the coastline, trying to locate Idate's vessel.

"Ow!" one of them yelled.

The other two looked at him to see a large bug fly out from his sleeve and him rubbing where is had presumably bitten. "Man up you wimp!" the fully bandaged one said as he glared at his teammate.

Oboro stared at the bug which flew up into the air, noticing it meet with many bugs. Scratch that, thousands upon thousands of bugs. "Guys! Stop your bickering! Something is going on here!" he yelled as he pointed at the gathering swarm.

The other two members of the team looked up to see the bugs begin to gather around one location in mid-air. The swarm suddenly froze and compacted before falling towards the boat, Oboro's eyes widened, "Abandon ship!" he yelled as he dove off the side.

The fully bandaged teammate dove off after him, but the one which was bitten found that he was paralysed, 'A paralysing toxin in the bug?' he thought as he looked up again.

The bug boulder landed on him and pulsed, exploding across the ship in a blitz of bugs, crushing and shredding him while tearing up everything on the boat to shreds.

Oboro and his last teammate surfaced and watched in shock as blood dripped from the decking and the bugs flew over their heads, their gazes followed the bug swarm until they were facing a huge wave that was carrying another vessel towards them.

###############################

Shino raised his arm and all of his bugs re-entered his body, making him feel complete once again. "Tenten, I do believe it is your turn." He said as he floated into the air, and Hinata jumped onto the wave and began 'surfing' away from the boat.

Tenten pulled out two scrolls and placed them on the deck below her feet, "Twin rising dragons!" she yelled as she leapt into the air, scrolls on her hands

As she peaked in her leap she began throwing all the weapons at her disposal at the enemy ninja's boat, the two rain ninja dove underwater to dodge the attacks, but their vessel wasn't as lucky.

Tenten's weapons stabbed into the boat and the corpse on board, covering the whole ship in weapons.

Tenten stopped throwing and sent one last kunai into her own boat as she leapt into the air and whipped out a sail that she had tied some ropes too, "Katsu!" she yelled as she pulsed her chakra.

The last kunai she threw had an ignition tag on it and as Team Naruto's boat connected with team Oboro's, the fire set ablaze every explosive tag on each of her weapons.

****BOOOOOM****

The boat exploded, the force pushed the remaining members of team Oboro under water and Tenten into the air, he pulled a piece of rope on the sail she held, it unfolded into a parachute and she was pushed clear of the explosion.

Shino floated next to her as they looked at the burning vessels, "Did you see where Hinata-chan ended up?" Tenten asked as she angled herself towards the wreckage.

Shino just pointed to a floating crate that Hinata was standing on, the two floated down to her.

Tenten landed on the water and stood, she folded her new parachute and held it in one hand, "Any news?" she asked.

Hinata nodded as she stared towards the shoreline with her Byakugan activated, "if we head north just a little, they should pass by us in about twenty minutes. But," she said as she faced south, "The opponent's boat will pass us in thirty if we head south."

Shino shook his head, "We should not attack the other boat, especially consider-" and he was pulled underwater.

Hinata looked down to see one ninja holding Shino underwater while another was punching the air from his lungs, "NO!" she yelled as she remembered watching her last teammate die and her doing nothing to stop it.

Tenten dove under water and saw what was happening, she unsealed a spear and began pushing chakra from her legs to propel herself towards them.

One pyjama clad gennin turned and dodged her stab, he swam at her quickly, trying to catch her off guard.

Even thought Tenten was much slower under water, she used the length of her spear to keep him away.

Shino squirmed and finally managed to get away from the ninja's grasp, he kicked off from the ninjas chest and pushed himself to the surface.

Hinata pulled him up onto the crate as he caught his breath, "Thanks, Hina, ta." He panted out.

Hinata nodded before pulling up her sleeve, showing a tattoo'd seal, Shino's eyebrows rose, "You're going to use it?" he asked.

She nodded as she sent chakra into the seal, revealing a metal staff as tall as she was, it was completely hollowed out inside and had the Hyuuga crest about halfway down it's length. "I have to." She whispered as she watched Tenten get pummelled by the two ninjas underwater.

See the thing which is amazing about the Hyuuga clan, isn't their Kekkei Genkai. It was the fact that they manipulated the whole world into thinking their clan's fighting style was earth based because of it's strong defence and immovability.

In truth, the Jyuuken was a combination or using normal chakra as if it was both water and lightening chakra in one. using the lightening capabilities, the chakra could pierce through any material and using the water, the chakra could sit inside of the target's body and deter chakra pathways.

This is what made Hinata's weapon so special, it took the manipulated chakra and made it into the actual elemental type.

Hinata channelled her water chakra and dove into the ocean, leading with her staff. The staff split the water around her, suddenly leaving herself, Tenten and their opponents in mid air.

Hinata whipped her staff around and threw Tenten upwards, Shino caught her and they both floated into the air.

Hinata spun as the water came back together, the two rain ninja quickly swam at her, planning to overwhelm her.

Hinata began to spin, very much like the Kaiten, but with the staff above her head.

A whirlpool formed around Hinata, sucking the two rain nin inwards before throwing them around and breaking their bones.

Hinata pulled her staff to her side and suddenly she was thrown up into the air above the whirlpool, she rotated around and looked down as the two gennin appeared at the bottom of the whirlpool, unable to move.

She spun her staff and created lightening chakra as she fell towards them, "HYUUGA LIGHTENING STYLE: THUNDER SLASH!" she yelled as she swung the end of her staff into the whirlpool's base.

The rain ninjas were slashed and fried due to the sharpened lightening chakra, it caused a small explosion that threw Hinata into the air again.

Shino caught Hinata with his right arm as Tenten was hanging from his left, he pulsed chakra into his anti-gravity seals to make the three of them lighter, within moments the three were hovering over the slowly calming sea.

Tenten looked around with wide eyes, "Hinata-chan! That was amazing!" she exclaimed.

Hinata panted with a smile, "Yep, j-just don't ask me to do it again." She said with a small smile.

Shino turned and began floating north, causing Tenten to look up at him, "Shino?" she asked.

He just nodded towards the Todoroki isle, letting Hinata and Tenten know his intentions as the three could see Idate's boat in the distance.

#######################

"Taicho! I see them!" Neji yelled as he looked at the large explosion of lightening chakra in the distance.

Naruto flew next to the boat and could vaguely see flames on the water, "Is everything clear? I want to get them here safely." Naruto said.

Neji scanned the area, "Yeah, it's clear." He said.

Naruto flew into the air, "Be right back." He said as he flew towards the flaming wreckage.

Within five minutes of his flight, Naruto could see the trio floating through the air towards him. He activated his scouting seal and looked over the three, other than being wet, none of them seemed to be injured.

He de-activated the seal as he flew underneath them, just as Shino began to lower from exhaustion.

Naruto caught Shino on his back and Hinata passed Tenten a piece of ninja wire that wrapped around the handle of Naruto's sword and into either girl's hands, "You guys ok?" he asked as he flew slowly towards Idate's boat again.

Hinata nodded, but seemed tired, "we'll be okay after some rest." Tenten said as she let Hinata climb onto her back and the two lifted into the air with Tenten's parachute, trailing along behind Naruto.

Naruto raised a brow at the small invention before smiling as Shino grasped the handle of Naruto's sword, "Ready, taicho." Shino said between breaths.

Naruto sent more chakra through the tubing in his body and flew back to Idate's ship at high speed, making it back in another ten minutes.

Naruto laid Shino down on the deck behind Idate and pulled the girls down onto the back end of the boat, the boat began to slow because of the weight. "Umm, sorry if I sound rude, but with everyone on this boat we're slowed down majorly." Idate pointed out.

Naruto nodded and lifted Hinata onto his back, "Hinata-chan, can you tie off ten-chan's wire to I can pull her with us?" he asked.

Hinata nodded as she did as was asked, Tenten tied a staff to the ropes that she would normally hang off of. "Ready?" Naruto asked.

The two girls nodded tiredly as Naruto lifted into the air, Tenten sat on her staff and didn't bother steering, letting herself trail behind Naruto.

Naruto flew next to the boat he blew into the sails without Idate noticing, "Wind style: Great Breakthrough" he whispered.

For Idate, the wind seemed to suddenly pick up and propel the boat forward faster than he expected, "Woah! Here's the northern front!" he yelled as the group flew forwards.

Naruto then flew next to Neji, who was standing on top of the mast. "I think we need to go back to Shino's original plan if we come across that team's Jonin sensei." Neji said.

Naruto frowned in thought before nodding, "Hopefully it won't happen, but the island is still like two hours away, then the last two hours on land." Naruto spoke out loud with his thoughts.

Hinata kissed Naruto's neck, "It's okay, Shino, Tenten and I will play guard while you and Neji handle anything that comes at us. Okay?" she said.

Naruto nodded, "Hai Hinata-chan. Now rest." He said with a smile.

Hinata lay her head down on Naruto's back and trusted him to hold her up, Naruto continued to talk with Neji as Tenten watched with a smile from above.

Tenten saw Naruto's smile as he whispered to Hinata to rest, she couldn't help but smile herself, 'He's so sweet, I think I can share him if that is the only way he'll be like that with me.' She thought as she watched Hinata snuggle into Naruto's back.

She watched as Neji looked up at her, causing Naruto to looked over his shoulder and grin widely, she waved in response with a smile of her own, 'I wonder what they're talking about…' she thought as she watched Naruto continue to talk with Neji.

Back on the mast, Neji spoke, "As my teammate I am sworn by an oath to not tell her secrets." He said quietly.

Naruto whispered back, "But does she like me? Cause she's pretty awesome, and Hinata-chan seemed to actually be considering her as someone to join my clan in the future."

Neji frowned, "Ask her yourself, or wait til she has the nerve to ask one of you two. I don't want to talk about it, she might hear and then," he shivered, "It'll rain pointies again." He whispered in fear.

Naruto raised a brow, "Pointies?" he asked.

Neji shivered, "I don't want to talk about it." he whispered.

Naruto could see that something had seriously scarred Neji, so he just nodded and floated away towards Shino and Idate.

"How are you guys?" he asked as he hovered above Shino.

Idate nodded with a smile, "Good over here, I think I can see the island in the distance." He said.

Naruto looked over to see that they could in fact see the island, causing Naruto to frown, "Shino, are you good to fly in about an hour?" he asked.

Shino nodded, "I can fly as long as I need to, my bugs have rested and will be of use in moments." He said.

Naruto nodded, "Awesome, Idate, just focus on your race ok?" he said as he floated of to Neji again.

Idate raised a brow in confusion as he watched Naruto float up, "What does he mean?" Idate asked Shino.

Shino tilted his head, "Where is the one place our enemy knows we will be at some point?" Shino asked.

Idate shrugged, "On our way to the shrine I guess…oh." He said as he realised the very likely scenario of this last ninja waiting for them.

Shino sighed, "Exactly."

Back with Naruto and Neji, Neji nodded subtly to his right, "Their ship is still behind us, but a man with easily high Chunnin level or even low Jonin chakra is running across the water towards the island. At his speed, he will be there in approximately forty five minutes, given him about ten minutes to recover his chakra before we get there, so we may be lucky when it comes to taking him down." Neji explained.

Naruto sighed, "So there is no way to avoid this conflict?" he asked.

Neji shook his head, "None that I can see Taicho." He said.

Naruto nodded, "Alright, we got just under an hour, rest up and be ready cause you and I are gonna take down this Jonin and win this race." Naruto said determinately.

Neji nodded with a smirk, "We got this easy, two of the strongest low level ninjas of the village. So what's the plan?" he asked.

Naruto grinned and looked into the distance, "You'll have to wait and see!"

###################################

Chapter End.

Next chapter: The Sword of the Thunder God!

Would love to hear what you guys are thinking about my story, any suggestions for the story's future?

R&R


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter twenty five: The Sword of the Thunder God!

Shino took Idate onto his back, "Ready?" Shino asked.

Idate nodded, "Only if you're feeling up to it Shino-san." He said.

Shino pulsed chakra into his anti gravity seal, making the two as only as heavy as their clothes.

Hinata kissed Naruto's cheek and hugged Neji, "Please be careful." She whispered.

She stepped away and jumped onto the water, standing next to Tenten who passed her one end of a huge cloth. Shino and Idate lifted into the air and flew down the coast, hiding behind the large sheet of camouflage material that was being carried by Tenten and Hinata to cover their escape.

Neji watched them slowly disappear before turning to Naruto, "So how will we make sure he attacks us?" Neji asked his Captain.

Naruto formed three hand seals with a smirk, "Wood clone jutsu." He announced, summoning a clone of wood from his own chakra and the wood of the boat.

Neji watched with wide eyes as the clone formed, "Clones don't have chakra systems Taicho, he can't hold a transformation." He said with a frown.

Naruto and the clone chuckled, "This one can." He said as the clone performed said jutsu and appeared exactly as Idate did.

Neji activated his Byakugan and gasped, "How?" he asked.

Naruto's clone smiled, "I have the chakra system from the boss, it's just how this jutsu works." It said with a smirk.

Neji shook his head with a sigh, "Do you even have a limit Naruto?" he asked bluntly.

Naruto and the clone smiled, "I'm only limited by what I believe is my limit." He said.

Neji raised a brow and looked at Naruto incredulously, "What does that even mean?" he said.

Naruto suddenly turned serious, "No time! We'll be within view soon," he turned to his clone, "Get sailing," he then turned to Neji, "keep your Byakugan active, but don't make it obvious you can see him unless he breaks cover." Naruto ordered.

The two nodded and got back into position, Naruto walked to stand at the bow and scanned the coastline, making it obvious that he was doing so.

He subtly activated his scope seal and zoomed in on the boat's landing point, there were no traps and Naruto could see that someone was hiding in one of the near-by trees, 'Yep, rain headband and Jonin Stripes. This is gonna be hard, but it looks like he's underestimated us. Gotta end it quickly then before he realises how big a mistake that is.' Naruto thought as he saw the guy stand on his branch and stretch.

Naruto now got a look at the guy's full outfit, "What the hell is with the rain village ninjas and their onesies?" he asked out loud.

Neji raised a brow, "Taicho, you do realise you're wearing a onesie?" He asked.

Naruto's brow twitched, "Shut up." He ordered.

'Idate' and Neji chuckled.

Ten minutes later, the trio landed the boat and straight away they began running as if the race still mattered, Naruto yelled, "How far off now Idate!?"

'Idate' replied, "Not too far, we should be miles ahead of the Wagarashi's runner." It said.

Neji ran in front of 'Idate' while Naruto ran behind, it was less than a minute later that Neji turned, "Look out!" he yelled.

Naruto spun around to see something rising through the air, it slowed to show…an umbrella?

"NINJA ART: SENBON SHOWER!"

Naruto watched as the umbrella opened up and began to spew forth needles, 'Wide range attack, already planned for.' He thought as he let the act begin.

Naruto dove in front of 'Idate' and took over one hundred needles in his back to protect him as Neji dove to the side and barely dodged the attack.

Neji froze in fake fear and stared at Naruto in shock, "Naruto!?" he gasped, staring wide eyed at the 'corpse'.

'Idate' crawled away as the rain nin fell to the ground and saw Neji's fear, "Hmph, weak." He said before charging at the off-guard Neji.

Neji just stared at where Naruto was, watching as he turned to a puddle, 'Three, two, one.' Neji counted down in his head.

The Rain Ninja whipped out a kunai and was about to lunge when Naruto's hand sprouted from the ground a tried to grasp his ankle, the Jonin reacted and managed to only get hit off balance.

Just like they planned.

Neji began spinning as the Jonin settled his footing less than a meter away from him, "KAITEN!"

The ninja was shredded, showering the two in…water?

Naruto pulled himself out of the ground and took guard next to 'Idate', "Dammit! Almost had him!" Naruto yelled in frustration.

A laugh was heard from the trees surrounding them, "Wow, I must say that was certainly surprising. You would've had me if I hadn't noticed the boy's Byakugan. It was obvious you would've spotted me while I was waiting."

Neji activated his Byakugan to find the enemy, but could only see a thick veil of chakra rising above them, "What?" he muttered.

"NINJA ART: BLACK RAIN!"

A black drop hit Naruto's face, causing him to look up. He saw large amounts of a black liquid forming above his head, unfortunately, some just fell into his eyes, "AAH!" he yelled in pain.

Neji, who saw what happened with his Byakugan, didn't bother to turn around, "Taicho?" he asked as he stood on guard.

Naruto suppressed his pain and stood tall, his eyes still shut, "I'll be fine. Plan b." he ordered.

Neji nodded before some off the liquid landed on his arm, he touched it and realised what it was, "Taicho, this is oil" he informed.

Naruto frowned then he heard a noise, "Your seven o'clock." He muttered.

Neji heard the quiet words and focussed his Byakugan, managing to see a small chakra tag be thrown at them, Neji realised his opponent's plan. "Explosive tag!" he yelled.

Naruto reacted instantly, he raised his arms and focused his chakra, "DECAPITATING AIR WAVES!" he yelled as he launched the jutsu.

It blew the tag away, causing it to explode only meters from where it was thrown from. The explosion didn't reach the oil-field so the Naruto, Neji and 'Idate' were safe.

Naruto crouched as the ninja was forced out into the open, "Step back." He ordered to Neji.

Naruto punched the ground with his awesome strength, causing a small earthquake and a fissure to form. Most of the oil drained into the fissure within a few seconds.

The ninja paused and clapped, "Once again, I am impressed you two work well as a team. And you, blondie," he said pointing to Naruto, "Certainly have a wide range of techniques for a gennin." He said.

Naruto smirked, with his eyes still squeezed shut, "Chunnin actually." He said.

The ninja raised a brow, "Wow, and you're pretty young as well huh? Tell you what, I'm havin fun. So I won't kill you just yet," he said with a dark sneer, "Let's see if I can't break your guard." He said as he pulled out a black handle.

Neji's brow rose as he looked t the handle with his Byakugan. He could see inside was some seals and a small…something. 'What is that?' he thought.

Naruto used his sensor abilities from Zabuza and Akamaru to 'feel' what his enemy was doing, 'Holy shit! That's a lot of lightening chakra!' he thought, clasping his hands together in a seal, "Better not risk it." he muttered.

"WATER STYLE: WATER WALL!" Naruto yelled.

A huge wall of water rose around the two Konoha ninjas acting as a defensive play. Naruto sent chakra to his feet to hold him to the ground and dug his head into the rising wave. The water hurt, but it removed all of the oil from his eyes.

Neji was looking through the water and saw the rain ninja charging while sending chakra to the handle in his hand, "Move!" Neji yelled as he kicked Naruto aside and jumped through the water wall himself.

'Idate' barely turned in time to see a blade of lightening slice through the wall and it's arm.

The clone only jumped away, as it dropped it's transformation.

The rain Jonin paused in his charge and stared at the clone, "What?!" he yelled in shock at being deceived.

Naruto stared at the lightening blade in the ninja's hand, "That's the Sword of the Thunder God!" he proclaimed with shock.

Neji landed next to Naruto, both of them slightly wet, "You mean the weapon of the Nindaime Hokage?" he asked.

Naruto nodded and glared as the ninja turned to face the two with his own glare, "That can mean only one thing, you're Aoi Rokusho, leaf missing nin." Naruto said with a glare.

Aoi returned the glare, "I'm a rain ninja now. Where is Idate?" Aoi asked.

Naruto smirked, "None of your business, traitor." He said as he whipped out his own sword.

Aoi's eyes widened, "A mist sword?" Aoi asked in shock.

Naruto chuckled, "Yep, scared yet?" he said as he pulsed his chakra, de-activating his weights.

Aoi glared, "No, I'm just pissed off!" he yelled as he charged at Jonin speed.

Naruto parried the first strike, only to be electrocuted through the metal of his own sword, Aoi kicked Naruto's chest, pushing the two apart. "Where is Idate?!" Aoi yelled.

Naruto rolled to his feet as Neji stood guard in front of him, "Taicho, you can't let his blade touch yours or you'll be shocked." Neji said.

Naruto nodded, "I know that now," he said as he held a one handed sign and blew onto his blade, surrounding it in a green hue, "WIND STYLE: UPGRADE BLADE!" he declared as he whipped it forward again.

Naruto and Neji stood side-by-side as Aoi spoke, "One last chance, where is Idate?!" he yelled.

Naruto whispered, "You see any weakness in the blade Neji?" Naruto asked.

Neji nodded, "He needs to be channelling chakra for it to be active, therefore, if I can block the chakra points on him, it will be nothing more than a handle." He said while his Byakugan glowed.

Naruto nodded, "I will try to get you that opening." He said as he took an offensive stance.

Aoi smirked with a scoff, "You're going to fight me? Are you stupid?" he asked.

Naruto just looked at the size of his own blade, then at Aoi's. "Na, as you can see. You're just tiny in comparison to a real man." He taunted with a grin.

Aoi, who secretly is ashamed of his lack of…endowment, bristled with hatred and charged with unfocused rage.

Naruto used his enhanced blade to fend off Aoi, but he was losing ground. "Neji!" he yelled as he countered a high strike and pushed back.

Neji dropped behind Aoi and span, "KAITEN!"

The orb of chakra threw Aoi around and then towards Naruto's forgotten clone, who held a hand sign, "WOOD STYLE: PRISONER VINE!" it yelled.

Aoi impacted the chest of the clone and it exploded into a net of thorny vines, wrapping around Aoi and holding him still.

Naruto dove at Aoi, his blade swinging, "This is it!" he screamed.

*SHLINK*

Kubikiri's blade glistened as the liquid dripped down its length, only for Aoi to burst into more water.

Naruto was kicked in the ribs once again, launching him back towards Neji's side, "Shit! What do we have to do?!" Naruto asked.

Neji's mind raced, "I'm not sure what we can do, other than continuing to try." He said.

Naruto nodded, "How does someone even make a sword of lightening anyway?" he proclaimed.

Something in Neji's mind clicked as Aoi started another speech about how he'll find Idate and his 'thought-to-be-still-alive' squad will destroy these two, 'useless-children.'

Aoi spoke as Neji whispered, "Naruto, you remember the basic element use classes from the academy?" he asked.

Naruto raised a brow and nodded, "Yeah, but my wind blade should've been cutting through his lightening anyway by now." He said.

Neji nodded, "What if you hit him with some water? He's holding what literally thousands of volts." Neji explained.

Naruto smirked, "Oh we so got this." He declared.

"ARE YOU EVEN FUCKING LISTENING TO ME?! I'LL KILL YOU!" Aoi yelled when he realised the two were talking over him.

Neji sprinted forward while Naruto held his blade above his head with his right arm and began forming seals with his left.

Neji pulled out two kunai and threw the first at Aoi, "That's it?" Aoi laughed as he cut down the kunai.

Neji threw his second at Aoi, only for it to fall short, causing Aoi to laugh as Neji closed in, "Konoha's standards have really fallen with you!" he mocked as he stepped forward to meet Neji's charge with a swing of his blade.

Neji jumped into the air as he passed his own kunai, the seal on the kunai made a small explosion, covering Aoi in a smoke cloud and pushing Neji high into the air.

Neji landed on a nearby tree and re-activated his Byakugan, looking through the smoke he smirked, "We win." He muttered as he began sprinting into the cloud.

Aoi had shielded his eyes with his sword so that no dirt entered them, when he pulled away, all he saw was a dust cloud. 'Trying to catch me off guard I guess? Whatever, this sword can handle anything!' he thought with confidence as he saw Naruto appearing through the cloud.

Naruto just sprinted at Aoi with a battle cry and a fist held back, so Aoi swung his blade again. Cutting the water clone into pieces, making a puddle and wetting Aoi's legs. "Son of a bitch." Aoi muttered as the clone fell.

Aoi's eyes widened as a water dragon flew at him from behind the collapsing clone.

He quickly held up his sword, using it as a last defence, that was his biggest mistake.

The sword did manage to cut most of the dragon, but the water still covered Aoi and the sword together. This caused the sword's electrical properties to be forced through his system.

Aoi screamed in pain as his nerves were shocked, he released the sword and it deactivated without his chakra.

The water dragon fell as well, but Aoi was paralysed from the electricity so he stood defenceless as Neji took a low stance behind him, "EIGHT TRIGRAMS: SIXTY FOUR PALMS!" he yelled as he launched himself forward.

Aoi barely managed to turn his head slightly as Neji assaulted him, "TWO PALMS!"

"FOUR PALMS!"

"EIGHT PALMS!"

"SIXTEEN PALMS!"

"THIRTY TWO PALMS!"

Neji took a low stance as he lined up his last blow with Aoi's spinal cord, "EIGHT TRIGRAMS SIXTY FOUR PALMS!"

Aoi's lower body became limp, exactly how Hinata's had once been. He fell to the ground in pain with the electricity still shooting through his nerves.

Neji picked up the Sword of the Thunder God and felt a pulse enter his body, 'I feel it.' he thought as he admired the blade.

Aoi rolled onto his back and pulled out a kunai, "I'll kill you." He grunted out through his teeth, taking aim at Neji's turned back.

He swung his arm to throw when suddenly, he had no arm.

He looked at his stump and screamed before Naruto stomped on his stomach, blowing the air out of him. "Shut up. You've lost." Naruto said before punching Aoi into unconsciousness.

Naruto smirked as he pulled out his weapons pouch, "Mission complete." He said with a smile as he turned to Neji.

He raised a brow, "Ugh, Neji? You ok?" he asked.

Neji snapped out of his daze and looked away from the handle, "Hm? Sorry?" he asked.

Naruto flicked Neji's ear, "Stay with us ya hear? You can admire your new trophy later, we gotta take this guy home now." Naruto said as he pulled out a seal from the pouch.

Neji clipped the handle onto the waistline of his belt and knelt next to the unconscious Aoi, "Why do we have to take him alive?" he asked.

Naruto grinned, "Cause this guy has a 'capture and interrogate if possible' order on his head. As far as I know, no one in our squad is an interrogator. Right?" Naruto said as he slapped the seal on Aoi's forehead.

Neji nodded in confirmation as the now forced-to-be unconscious Aoi was picked up, "Forgive me taicho, but if we want him alive, shouldn't we do something about that arm?" Neji asked as he pointed to Aoi's bloody stump.

Naruto watched blood flow the wound and frowned, 'Really should've learned those medical jutsu before this mission…' Naruto thought as he pondered over what to do.

Neji whipped out his new sword and seared the wound shut with a stroke of lightening, "Let us make haste." Neji said as he began walking.

Naruto made a few hand signs and knelt, "Summoning jutsu!" he spoke.

Neji turned and stared at the apartment sized rattlesnake that appeared, "How can I help you Naruto-sssssama?" it asked as it bowed slightly.

Naruto gestured to Aoi's hovering unconscious body, "Hey Tenshou, can you drop this guy off at Konoha's front gate? Tell em he's from me and we'll be home tomorrow night." Naruto ordered.

The large snake nodded, "Ssssssure thing Naruto-ssssama."

Naruto sighed and watched as the snake slithered over to Aoi, "How many times have I told you not to call me 'sama'?" Naruto asked.

The snake swallowed Aoi whole and his rattle-tail suddenly pulsed blue, "Fourteen." It answered with a fanged smirk.

Neji stared as the rattle took the shape of Aoi's body and felt as though he was gonna throw up, Naruto spoke with a frown, "And how many times til you actually listen to me?" Naruto asked.

The snake chuckled, "Only Nine hundred and eighty ssssix more to go." Tenshou said before it tunnelled underground.

Naruto turned and began hovering, "Ready Neji?" he asked with a smirk.

Neji just stared, "W-w-why didn't you just summon one of those monsters earlier?!" Neji yelled.

Naruto tilted his head curiously, "They're not monsters, they're snakes." Naruto said as he began flying in the general direction of the main race course.

Neji blinked in confusion before tree hopping after his taicho, "If you weren't able to kill me I would destroy you right now baka!" Neji yelled as he chased after Naruto.

##########################################

"Okay! Initiate the plan!" Tenten yelled as the group hit land.

Shino placed Idate down and Idate began sprinting at maximum civilian speed, Shino flew above his head and kept pace. Hinata tree hopped ahead to scan for any problems with her Byakugan, and Tenten paused to re-wrap the camouflage cloth before catching up to Shino and Idate.

Shino needed almost no chakra to fly by himself since it was his bugs doing all the work, so he was to be the one to guide Idate through any up-coming conflicts that Hinata would spot. Tenten would help Hinata before the two caught up.

Shino spoke, "How much farther Idate-san?"

Idate sprinted as fast as he could, "If I can keep this speed, only half an hour to the steps, ten minutes up the steps, then it's the last stretch." He said as his speed increased.

Shino nodded as he kept up with Idate, the coast disappearing behind them and Hinata disappearing ahead of them, Tenten thought 'I hope Naruto-kun and Neji are alright.'

Twenty minutes into their running Shino suddenly swooped down and lifted Idate into the air, barely dodging a kunai trap.

Tenten leapt forward while simultaneously whipping out a katana, she deflected another set of kunai then threw one of her own with an explosive tag attached.

The kunai flew into the woods and exploded, forcing the two rain gennin out into the open. Tenten's eyes widened in shock, "How are you alive?!" she yelled.

Shino placed Idate back on his feet, "Run Idate!" he ordered.

Tenten waved Shino along, "You too! Someone has to protect him and these two are injured, I can handle it!" she yelled as she took a defensive stance with her katana.

Shino saw the look in her eyes and slowly nodded, "I…wish you luck Tenten-san. Be careful." He said before flying after Idate.

One rain gennin went to follow Shino, but he was forced to dodge Tenten's swipe, "You have to go through me first!" she said as she took another defensive stance.

The one on the left, Oboro Tenten realised, took a step forward. "Look, it's two against one here. Either give up or die. If you give up, I promise to allow some…fun, before we kill you." He said.

Tenten could recognise a threat when she saw one, "In that case, I'll kill you first." She said as her gaze hardened.

"NINJA ART: HAZE CLONE TECHNIQUE!"

Tenten's eyes widened as she realised Oboro was distracting her while his teammate formed a jutsu, she took a defensive stance and pulled out a short-sword in a reverse grip to complement her katana as hundreds of black dressed versions of Mubi rose from the ground.

Tenten looked back at her attackers only to realise they disappeared amongst the clones, "Shit!" she muttered as she turned in a circle.

She stared down the clones surrounding her, noticing they were moving slow and sluggishly, 'I've never heard of 'Haze clones' how does this technique work?' she thought as a clone took the first attack.

She dodged it's kunai swipe and slashed it's chest open, staring shock as her blade just passed through the clone, 'So they're not even real? A Genjutsu?' she thought.

She decided to ignore the 'Haze clones' and instead tried to find the originals, only to gasp in pain as a haze clone cut her arm, "What?" she asked in shock as she stepped away and began to dodge and block every kunai swipe and strike.

Tenten jumped and dodged strikes for nearly ten minutes before she was too tired to continue, "No choice then!" she yelled as she rolled back from a strike and whipped out two scrolls.

Tenten leapt into the air and unsheathed a spiked ball and large shield, she threw the ball downwards and shielded herself in mid air.

The moment she heard the impact, the pulsed her chakra "KATSU!" she yelled.

******BOOOOOOOM******

The ball exploded, shredding the clones and decimated many trees in the surrounding area, creating a flat plain and nothing more to hide behind.

#####################

******BOOOOOOOM******

"What was that?"

"Tenten's shrapnel bomb!"

Naruto's eyes widened at Neji's answer, "Let's go help her!" he yelled as the two changed direction.

########################

Tenten landed with a pant as she re-equipped herself with weapons, this time a spear. She scanned her surrounding area to see black blobs rising out of the ground, reforming into the Haze clones, "You have to be kidding." Tenten muttered as the numerous enemies reformed.

She caught a glimpse of yellow in her peripheral vision and turned to see a haze clone attacking her with a kunai.

She stabbed the clone's arm with her spear, making it move away from the airborne kunai, her eyes widened when she realised what they were doing. 'They're throwing kunai at the same point one of the clones strike! Now how do I stop them?' she thought to herself.

She kept dodging the strikes and swiping at the clones, she smirked as she came up with a plan, 'Let's see who has faster reflexes.' She thought as she moved to the centre of the clearing.

She counted the timing between each real strike, 'about eight seconds, and they appear from where I last dodged from.' She thought.

She dodged two fake strikes then counterattacked the third, putting herself in a blindside position. 'let's hope my aim is perfect as usual.' She thought as she threw a dagger into the air.

She took the attack to her arm and leapt right, keeping her wound facing where she leapt from. She rolled to her feet and pulled the kunai out, 'Three, two, one.'

"AH-**BOOOM**

Tenten smiled as she turned to her last spot, seeing the splatters of her opponent, who she just blew up.

"MUBI! NO!"

She spun and earned a hand full of shuriken to her leg, "Shit!" she let out as she fell to the ground in pain.

She looked up to see a pissed off Oboro charging at her in blind rage, her spear lay under her good leg. 'One shot!' she thought as she reacted quickly.

Oboro lunged at Tenten, his kunai glinting in the light, at the same time Tenten hooked her foot under her spear and kicked upwards.

*SHLINK*

Oboro paused in mid-air as he landed on Tenten's spear, he looked down to see it stabbing through his chest. He dropped the kunai and slid down the pole, landing half on Tenten's legs. He stared at her wide open eyes and gurgled blood before dropping as dead weight onto her lower body.

Tenten stared at Oboro's open eyes in shock, "I, k-killed?" she muttered.

She sat in his growing puddle of blood for a few minutes, maintaining eye contact with the corpse. Naruto landed by her side kicked the body off of her, "Ten-chan! What happened?! Are you ok?" he asked as she snapped out of her silence and began to cry.

Naruto held her to his chest as Neji arrived on the scene, "Taicho!? What happened?" he asked as he looked at Tenten's body, covered in blood.

Naruto looked up at Neji, "She became a true ninja. Listen to me Neji, activate your Byakugan and tell me if pulling these out of her will do any damage." Naruto said as he nodded to the shuriken.

Neji did so and shook his head, "They didn't reach in far so removing them will do no harm." He confirmed as he scanned the rest of her for wounds.

Naruto pulled the shuriken out, causing Tenten to gasp each time. He used his enhanced sight seal to examine each wound, finding nothing in the wounds he said to Neji, "Wrap her arm, I will do her leg." He ordered.

Neji nodded and pulled the bandages from his arms, passing most of them to Naruto.

Neji lifted her unmoving arm and began to wrap it, causing her to whimper in pain. He hit a tenketsu in her arm to numb the pain, "Better?" he asked.

Tenten nodded, tears still falling down her face.

Naruto ripped the left side of her blood covered pants leg off and began wrapping her wounds with Neji's bandage. "Sorry 'bout the pants Ten-chan, but they're ruined anyway." He said as he finished wrapping the wound.

Neji helped her climb onto Naruto's back and Naruto hovered in the air, "Ready?" he asked.

Tenten nodded as grasped her hands around Naruto's neck as he cupped her so she could sit, the three pushed on, rushing through the trees to catch up to Idate.

##################################

Hinata stood at the bottom of the stairs and saw Fukusuke appearing in the distance, 'C'mon Idate, Shino.' She thought as she looked down the side road Idate would be appearing from.

Just as Fukusuke took his first steps onto the staircase, Idate appeared not twenty meters away, Hinata grinned and began to wave to him and Shino, "Hurry Idate!" she yelled.

Fukusuke turned with wide eyes as Idate slowly caught up to him, "Al-Most-There!" Idate panted as he caught up to Fukusuke.

The two runners sprinted at full speed, seemingly equal as they reached the viewing partition half-way up the stairs, "There they are!" "they're neck and neck!" "Go Fukusuke!" "C'mon Idate!"

Shino landed in a tree and Hinata leapt up next to him, they tree hopped up the hill, keeping an eye on the racers.

Both racers hit the top step at the same time and broke into a full out sprint.

The crowds screamed with cheers as the two runners turned the last corner within the same second of each other.

Idate glanced at his opponent from the corner of his eye, 'How did he even get here this soon?' Idate thought as he focused his gaze forward, 'No time to worry!' he thought as he took a deep breath.

In the last twenty meters of the race, Idate suddenly shot in front of Fukusuke, he tore through the finishing ribbon and stumbled to the shrine.

His victory was met with applause as Fukusuke fell to his knees.

Idate smiled as he was lifted into the air by the Wasabi clan, tears of happiness and relief flowed as his smile turned into a huge grin, "I-DA-TE! I-DA-TE! I-DA-TE! I-DA-TE!" they cheered as they threw him into the air.

Hinata smiled and she turned to Shino, "He did it!" she said excitedly.

Shino nodded and stood tall while adjusting his glasses, "Mission success."

############################

Later that night in the wasabi complex, the whole clan was partying in celebration of another four years of the town being under their control.

Idate and Jirocho sat next to each other at the head table, eating a feast and sharing numerous drinks with raucous laughter.

All the Konoha ninjas stood in the corner of the room, discussing the mission and what the next plan is.

"…and that's when you turned up." Tenten finished retelling everyone of the fight she had against Mubi and Oboro.

Hinata was frowning, "I can't believe I missed seeing those two, I'm so sorry Tenten-chan!" she said.

Tenten shrugged, "It's alright Hinata-chan, it's in the past so it doesn't matter, k?" she said with a smile as she stood straight and slightly winced at the pain in her leg, she leaned back against the wall, "this does hurt though" she muttered as she rubbed her leg.

Naruto felt bad for letting Tenten get hurt, as he felt it was his responsibility. So naturally, he hugged her and lifted her onto a nearby chair, "Don't move, ok? We don't want you getting any worse. In fact, I will carry you back to Konoha when we go." Naruto said as he stared into her eyes.

Tenten nodded and blushed, which Hinata noticed, "Hey Tenten-chan, can I talk to you in private please?" she asked.

Tenten nodded and pointedly looked at Naruto, he stepped away and walked over to Neji and Shino, who were both being hounded by local girls.

One brunette looked at Neji with stars in her eyes, "Neji-sama! Please take me to Konoha with you!" she screamed.

Neji twitched before glaring at the girl, "No." he said.

A blond girl held Shino's arm, "Shino-sama! Will you marry me?!" she yelled.

Shino looked down at her and considered his options like any Aburame does, 'it would be illogical to dismiss the advancements of upper class woman of an allied village,' he thought.

He saw the throbbing hearts in the girl's eyes and for once, dismissed logic, 'Fuck that, fangirls suck.' He thought.

Naruto's eyes widened as Shino let out some bugs from his mouth and formed a creepy smile, "Pretty giiiiiirl." He said as he raised a bug covered arm.

Every girl near Shino and Neji screamed and ran away, Neji let out a deep breath, "Good work Shino-san." He said.

Naruto stepped up to them, "What was that about?" he asked.

Shino brought the bugs back into his body and readjusted his glasses as Neji explained; "It seems we are known as heroes for our exploits in protecting Idate-san. The girls and young women seem to be… embracing their fantasies of marrying a hero." He said with a frown.

Naruto raised a brow, "How come no one has been hitting on me then?" he asked.

Neji smirked, "When you were cleaning your sword before, not only did that intimidate some girls. But Hinata-sama also…persuaded a few more reckless girls to quit their advancements." Neji said.

Shino nodded, "Indeed, it was quite a spectacle." He said.

Naruto chuckled, "That's my Hinata-chan!" he said with a grin.

####################

As Naruto stepped away, Hinata sat down next to Tenten. "Tenten-chan, do you like Naruto-kun?" she asked with an embarrassed blush.

Tenten blushed herself, "Umm, sure I do, he's nice." She said, pretending she had no idea what Hinata was talking about.

Hinata grasped Tenten's hand, causing her to look at Hinata's face, "Tenten-chan, I can see it. I know you like him like I do." Hinata said.

Tenten looked back at her lap, "Sorry, I know I shouldn't, and you love him and I, I don't know when it started, but I-" she stopped her nervous rambling as Hinata put a rice ball in her mouth to shut her up.

Hinata smiled as Tenten blinked at her in shock, "Please, be quiet and listen for a moment?" Hinata asked.

Tenten just nodded as she took a chomp out of the rice ball, Hinata began her pre-meditated speech. "Tenten, Naruto and I are going to be together for as long as he lets me be with him. Hopefully that will be forever, but Naruto is someone very important in our village." She said before taking a deep breath.

"He is the last member of two deceased clans." She said.

Tenten's eyes widened and tightened her lips to stop from interrupting Hinata, 'He's from a clan? Didn't see that coming.' She thought.

Hinata began again, "As the last member of his clan, it is law of the leaf village that he marries at least two wives, and a maximum of four. At least I think that's right. Therefore, I have to get used to the idea of sharing him." She said.

Tenten's face blushed as she thought of 'sharing' Naruto with other people, Hinata finished, "He said he'd only be with people who I approve of, and I can't think of anyone better than someone who loves him like we do. Do you understand what I'm saying Tenten?" she said with a soft smile while she tightened her grip on Tenten's hand.

Tenten blinked in shock before smiling and holding the last of the rice ball to Hinata, "So, we'll share?" she asked hopefully.

Hinata smiled and took the rice ball, she finished it off in a single bite, "Mhmm!" she hummed with a close eyed smile.

Tenten hugged Hinata while wincing as her wounds pulled, "Thank you so much Hinata-chan!" she said rather loudly.

Hinata smiled back, "No problem Ten-chan, you do have to ask him yourself though. But I'm pretty sure he'll give you a chance." She said as she returned the hug.

Hinata stood and held Tenten's hand, helping her to her feet she asked "Do you want to go outside to the balcony? I'll send Naruto out in a minute so you can prepare yourself."

Tenten nodded and began to walk away with a limp, "That would be great Hinata-chan, thank you again." She said with a huge smile and a wave.

Hinata nodded and turned to find her Naruto, "I hope this is ok.." she muttered as she spotted him.

Hinata stood behind the three boys and smiled as Naruto said something that he laughed at and the two emotionless boys even crack a smirk. "Naruto-kun?" she asked as she tapped his shoulder.

Naruto turned and smiled widely, "Hey Hina-chan!" he exclaimed as he hugged her close.

Hinata leaned into his embrace for a moment before stepping back, he caught her off-guard with a quick kiss, she blushed hard. "What do need Hina-chan?" he asked.

Hinata smiled, "Well, you remember wha-what we talked about with your future wives?" she asked, accidentally slipping out a stutter.

Naruto raised a brow, "Yeah, if one of us chooses then the other has to approve," he saw the look in Hinata's eyes, "…Oh." He let out as his face flushed and he began looking around, "Is it someone from this party? Cause I'm not too sure about bringing a stranger back to the village…" he muttered, trying to hide his nervousness and how uncomfortable he was behind conversation.

Hinata held his hand, "D-don't worry Naruto-kun, its someone I approve of, and I know you like her more than a f-friend already. She's on the balcony waiting for you." Hinata said while pushing him in the general direction of the balcony.

Naruto nodded, "Okay, umm yeah I'll go…do that." He muttered as he slowly walked towards the balcony.

Hinata smiled as she watched him walk away, 'This isn't as hard as I thought it would be, well, for me at least.' She thought with a smile.

###################

Naruto pushed the curtain aside and stepped out onto the balcony, he smiled as he saw the moonlight glowing through a few spread out clouds.

He trailed his sight down from the moonlight sky to see Tenten leaning against the railing, looking out into the sky aswell.

He smiled, 'Ten-chan, I guess if there has to be someone else, I'm glad it's her.' He thought as he took a step closer.

He leaned against the railing next to her, looking out just as she was, "Hey Ten-chan." He said quietly.

Tenten glanced at Naruto out of the corner of her eyes, "Hey Naruto-kun." She muttered nervously.

The two stood in silence for a moment before Tenten finally spoke, "So…did Hinata-chan..?"

He nodded, "Told me everything." He said with a smile.

Tenten looked down at her fiddling hands nervously, "So, do you accept me to be…well, yours?" she asked.

Naruto was quiet for a moment, before grasping her face softly and turning her gaze to meet his, "I wouldn't be here if I didn't want you Ten-chan." He said as his cerulean eyes burned into her chocolate brown.

Tenten grinned widely at Naruto's proclamation and boldly leaned forward, pressing her lips to his.

Naruto's eyes widened before he too leaned into the kiss, it was a just a kiss, but the two felt as if something connected them in that moment.

Tenten and Naruto pulled away from each other and smiled widely, they stood in a comfortable silence, just looking up into the moonlit sky with each other.

#########an hour or so later##############

"Excuse me ninja-sama."

Naruto and Tenten looked behind to see someone bowing, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but Jirocho-sama would like to speak with Naruto-sama." The little girl said.

Naruto stepped away from Tenten but held her hand, "Sure thing, where is he now?" Naruto asked.

The girl smiled up at Naruto, "He just left to his study Naruto-sama." She said.

Naruto laughed and patted the girl's head, causing her to smile up at him, "Please don't call me 'sama', I'm no better than you." He said before he walked passed her and lead Tenten back inside.

Tenten squeezed Naruto's hand once before she stepped back towards the team, "See you later Naruto-kun." She said with a smile.

Naruto nodded, "Bye Ten-chan." He said before he walked out of the ballroom and towards the first room he met Jirocho in.

*Knock Knock*

"Enter."

Naruto opened the door to see Jirocho sitting in his chair, a small smile on his face, "Please Naruto-san, come here." He said as he waved Naruto over.

Naruto walked to Jirocho's side and crouched, "What is it you need Jirocho-sama?" he asked politely.

Jirocho grasped his shoulder and lifted him to his feet, "I need to thank you for doing such a wondrous job with protecting Idate, and pay you for your mission." He said with a smile as Naruto stepped back.

Naruto nodded, "It was my honour to help Jirocho-sama, please feel free to call upon my aid in the next race." Naruto said with a smile in return.

Jirocho reached into his vest and pulled out a fat A4 envelope, "you know, I think I will. By the way, I added a little to your pay considering the injuries sustained by that teammate of yours, I hope she heals quickly." He said as he handed the large sum of money to Naruto.

Naruto nodded as he received the payment, "I'll pass on the message, we will be leaving early in the morning and heading home at full speed, so I do not expect to see you for a while after this meeting." Naruto said with a small smile.

Jirocho nodded, "Indeed, the life of a ninja seems to be fast paced," he said as he stood in front of Naruto, "I truly thank you for your services Naruto-san, I wish you well tidings for the future." He said as he clasped Naruto's forearm in a monkey grip.

Naruto shook the Daimyo 's hand and nodded, "It was an honour sir, I wish you the best for your term in office." Naruto said with a smile.

They released their grips and Naruto walked from the room, exiting with a respectful bow.

#############################

It was three in the morning and Naruto stood in front of his four man squad, "This was the best way a first C-rank could've gone I think." He said with a smile, "Only one person injured, no casualties AND a success." He said as he counted off on his fingers, "I just want to thank you all for helping me." Naruto said with a wide grin.

Neji fingered the handle hanging from his belt, "If I get something like this every time I enter a mission with you, consider us even." He said with a smirk.

Shino nodded, "It was a challenging and interesting mission. I thank you for allowing me to join you on it Naruto-Taicho." He said.

Hinata smiled softly, "You did wonderful as a captain Naruto-kun, you led this mission well and you were able to rely on the team's strengths just as any good captain would." She said.

Tenten nodded in agreement, "This was the best mission I've ever done!" she cheered.

Naruto smiled and face Konoha, "Alright then, time for the quickest ride ever! You ready?" Naruto asked.

Tenten unsealed a long chain from her weapons scroll and climbed onto Naruto's back, Shino clasped Hinata's and Neji's hands and pulsed his chakra, focussing his and his bug's chakra into making them weightless.

Tenten looped the chain around the handle of Naruto's sword and threw either end to Hinata and Neji, they caught the ends with their spare hands.

Naruto rose into the air, "From the outskirts of Fire country to Konoha by dinner time?" he asked Tenten.

Tenten smiled and held on tight, "Not nearly fast enough!" she cheered.

Naruto pushed some of his more potent chakra from the Kyuubi into his wind funnels, "LET'S GO!" he yelled as the five disappeared in an airborne blur.

##################################

At full ninja speed, the journey from the Wasabi complex to Konoha's front gate takes about eighteen hours of travel. For Naruto and his team of gennin, they made it in thirteen.

That's why when Izumo and Kotetsu saw a giant dust cloud rapidly approaching the village, they raised the silent alarm, alerting a squad of combat Anbu to the approaching possible threat.

The Anbu arrived within five seconds of receiving the alert, the Captain took lead. "Eagle, what is it?" he asked.

The woman on the team looked down the road, a glimpse of her white eyes were visible through the mask, "It…appears to be Chunnin Naruto Uzumaki and his squad." She said.

The captain sighed before taking a step back, "By the looks of things, he's not gonna be able to slow down in time to NOT crash. I'll slow him, then you catch him ok Bear?" the captain said.

The large chubby man on the team's right nodded, "Got it taicho." He said as he stepped forward and dug his feet into the ground, literally.

The captain stood on his shoulders, "Cat, give me a boost, quickly." he asked.

The cat faced anbu placed a hand on the Captain's back, sending his own chakra into the Captain's seals as well.

Eagle spoke up, "Ten seconds till collision. Recommended start in four." She said.

The captain formed some hand signs and the jutsu's power was doubled thanks to Cat, "WIND STYLE: WEIGHTED WHIRLWIND!" he said as he pushed his arms forward, creating a rippling effect in the air as well as a very strong wind.

"Three seconds!" Eagle yelled over the noise.

"Ready Bear?!" Cat yelled.

Bear nodded, "Partial Expansion jutsu!" he proclaimed as he held his now gigantic arms forward.

The dust cloud stopped meters from the four Anbu, the wind slowing down Naruto enough without harming him for Bear to catch his shoulders. Though they were still pushed back a few meters.

The Captain stopped his jutsu and dropped next to Naruto, "How many times has it been Naruto?" he asked.

Naruto, who was still being held in the air by Bear's arm and had Tenten sitting on back, grinned sheepishly, "hehe Umm, don't know what you're talkin 'bout Puppy-san." He said.

Bear placed Naruto onto his feet as the captain leaned over Naruto's form and pointed to his mask, "It's not a puppy, it's a wolf!" he said.

Naruto shrugged, "Puh-tae-to, Puh-tah-to." He said as he lowered Tenten to her feet and Shino and the others rejoined the group.

The Anbu sighed, "Whatever, there's no point anyway." He said as he brushed back his grey hair.

Naruto frowned, "But Ka-MMPH!" Wolf slammed chakra enforced tape over Naruto's mouth.

"It doesn't matter if you know what my name is, you aren't allowed to call me by it while I'm in the outfit." Wolf said as he turned back to his team.

Naruto managed to rip the tape from his face, "Will you be home tonight? Cause I wanna tell everyone about the mission!" Naruto said with a wide grin.

The Wolf masked Anbu face-palmed, "What did I just say Naruto! Stop giving away my identity!" he yelled as he bobbed Naruto's head.

Naruto just stood with a frown on his face as he stared up at Wolf, who sighed. "Yes I'll be home tonight. Go report to the Hokage." He said before disappearing in a poof of smoke alongside his squad.

Naruto grinned widely and turned to his team, "Time Neji?" he asked.

Neji pulled out his pocket watch, "Just over thirteen hours Naruto-taicho." He said with a smirk.

Naruto grinned, "Don't worry, I'll do that whole journey in less than a second someday, Believe it!" Naruto said as he gave a thumbs up to his team.

Shino nodded and calmly walked passed Naruto, the only sign that he was exhausted was the slump of his shoulders, "That was very interesting Taicho, although I do not need to crash through any more trees or buildings in my lifetime." He said as he began to walk away towards his compound.

Naruto smiled again, "Well then, I guess that's the cue to dismiss everyone! I'll see you guys next time yeah?" Naruto said as he lifted into the air again, "Last orders, Hinata-hime and Neji, escort Ten-chan to the hospital and make sure she sees a Jonin named Shizune for medical treatment. Then you both go straight home and rest. As soon as you're better Ten-chan, I want you to help Neji use his new sword. Everyone in agreement?" the three nodded and Hinata resealed the chain into Tenten's weapon scroll as Neji gave Tenten a piggy back.

Hinata smiled as she helped hold Neji's bag while he carried Tenten, "What about you Naruto-kun?" she asked.

Naruto grinned and pulled up his hood, camouflaging himself black and shooting up into the blackening sky he yelled, "I got a Baa-chan to annoy!" his laughter echoed behind him as he launched towards the Hokage's office.

###########################

"Mission accepted Sarutobi-sama." Ibiki said with a bow that Sasuke mimicked from his place by Ibiki's side.

Hiruzen nodded and handed the scroll over, "Anko and Kin have him from four in the morning, you two can take over at eight if they get no results. We want all the information on what Aoi did since he left the village." He said.

Ibiki nodded, "Are you sure Sasuke should be present for my…methods?" he asked.

Sarutobi nodded, "He wants to be a hunter ninja, and as you know, some hunter ninjas need to be able to extract information. Who else could teach him better then the Mind Sadist of Konoha?" he asked rhetorically.

Sasuke raised a brow, "So I'm going to actually be learning to be an interrogator?" he asked.

Ibiki's answering laughter bellowed, "That will take years, no I'm just gonna give you a crash course!" he said.

Sasuke nodded slowly, "And what will that entail?" he asked.

Ibiki placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, "You will be watching me work, with your Sharingan active. I'll also teach you my four interrogation Genjutsus, with any luck you will learn to do them visually." Ibiki said with a smirk.

Sasuke's eyes widened, "You want me to steal your work?" he asked.

Ibiki laughed again, "Steal? It's part of the Sharingan, as an ally I'm officially giving you permission to use my works. Get it brat?" he said with a sadistic smirk.

Sasuke smirked and nodded, "I understand Ibiki-sensei." He said.

**CRASH**

Sasuke whipped out his Kusarigama in the same second Ibiki and Hiruzen sighed.

"Hey Jij-AAHH!" Naruto yelled as he was wrapped in Sasuke's chain and held against the floor.

Sasuke blinked, "Oh, Otouto, you're back already?" he asked casually as he lifted his foot off of Naruto's back.

Naruto rolled onto his back, "WHAT THE HELL ANIKI?!" he screamed.

Sasuke just smirked and pulled Naruto to his feet, "I just reacted, next time check if the window is open before you fly through it." he said as he pulled his weapon, spinning Naruto around until he fell on his ass unwrapped.

Ibiki chuckled, "You may be a Chunnin, but you're still a brat."

Hiruzen smiled and talked before Naruto could begin yelling again, "Ibiki, Sasuke. You two are dismissed. If you find anything that involves setting up another mission, or when you've finished your report, give a copy to me as well as Tsunade-chan. I'll see you both tomorrow." He said.

Ibiki and Sasuke bowed before heading for the door, Sasuke patted Naruto's shoulder on the way out, "The family is meeting at the _Autumn Tree_ for dinner at seven, try to make it in time. I wanna hear about your mission." Sasuke said as he passed and left the room.

Naruto yelled out, "I'll be there!" as Sasuke closed the door with a smile.

Sarutobi coughed lightly, "Well Naruto-kun, how was your first mission as a Chunnin?" he asked.

Naruto crouched in mid air, "Pretty awesome if I do say so myself." Naruto said with a smile.

Sarutobi chuckled, "Yes it seems to have had some action, considering the prisoner you sent back." He folded his hands under his chin, "Since you are a Chunnin, unless you took part in a double A rank mission or an S-rank, you have to submit your report through the paperwork system, do you need help?" he asked as he pulled out two forms.

Naruto shrugged, "Sure thing, but after this I need to talk to Baa-chan about some stuff so how long do you reckon this will take?" Naruto asked as he looked at the sheets.

Sarutobi smirked, "Actually, the process is only a few steps. But the recount depends on the mission." He said as he pointed to a few points on the sheet, "This is a layout sheet prepared for first time mission reporters, other than the basic obvious things like name, level, the client, pre-determined rank and resulting rank from your opinion, the majority of a report is literally your recount of what occurred on the mission. If there were parts that you weren't present for that are vital explanation points, you will need to get someone who was present to recount those particular moments. You understand everything?" Hiruzen asked.

Naruto looked at the sheets and blinked, "Umm, I'm gonna need more than one sheet for this." Naruto said after a moment.

Hiruzen chuckled, "See that seal?" He asked as he pointed to a seal on the bottom of the lined section of the page, "It is your basic containment seal which holds a one hundred meter length scroll. You should have enough room on that." He said with a smile.

Naruto nodded, "Umm, okay then." He muttered, looking extremely confused.

Hiruzen chuckled, "It's okay, you can take the practice sheet home. You can't screw up if you follow those instructions, just take your time alright?" he explained.

Naruto nodded and smiled, "I think I got it, but I can ask you any questions if I find something wrong right?" he asked.

Hiruzen nodded with a chuckle, "Of course you can." He said.

Naruto 'stood' tall, "Ok, I think I should get started ASAP shouldn't I Jiji?" he asked rhetorically as he floated towards the door, "Thanks Jiji! I'll see ya later." He said as he waved.

Sarutobi waved as well with a smile until Naruto clicked the door shut, he rolled over to the active ninja wall and pulled down a funnel, "You two listening?" he asked.

From the same horn a rickety old woman's voice rang, "Hiruzen we can't work in these conditions! Get us another job!"

Hiruzen covered his mouth to hide his chuckle before speaking again, "Now now Koharu, you said you wanted a civilian based job that had work in the Hokage tower, I'm just doing what you asked." He said with a suppressed smile.

Shuffling was heard before Homura's voice rang, "What do you need Saru?" he mumbled in a tired voice.

Sarutobi's brow tightened a little in sadness, "Homura, Chunnin Naruto Uzumaki returned from his mission successfully, only Tenten will be out of commission. A few days at maximum…can you come up here when you're free tomorrow?" he asked with a hopeful voice.

Homura was silent for a moment before he spoke, "Of course, I'll be up at midday." The line cut off.

Hiruzen opened the curtain and looked over the board, looking as the different lights turned off under the gennin's names and Naruto's turned off, signifying their return. Hiruzen smiled 'One more safe return.'

#################################

Chapter End.

Thanks for reading everyone! I just want to take this moment to thank all of those who have given me the positive reviews that make me want to continue writing.

On a serious note though, to the guest who wrote his name as 'Len' in a review from chapter 12 that was written to me on 2/18/13. If a piece of fiction honestly disturbs you that much that you'd destroy a piece of furniture in anger, please seek help so that you don't accidently hurt a person in the future. Sudden bouts of rage can cause serious damage, even if you don't mean them to.

Also to the guest who always posts, 'Supert History'. You've been reading since the very beginning so I'd like to thank you for sticking by my Fanfic :D

Since I don't have time to go through each and every review (sorry) I just want to thank all of those who have given me constructive criticism, feedback, story ideas and motivation to continue writing.

So please, continue to Read & Review :D


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty six: Average Spring in Konoha.

"Hi, umm are Sasuke and Sakura here?" Naruto asked nervously to the waiter.

He nodded, "Right this way Naruto-san." He said with a smile before walking towards the boothed section.

Naruto smiled as he followed along, 'Looks like I'm finally being respected a little.' He thought.

The waiter paused and pointed to a set of large booths, "Your family is waiting for you Naruto-san," he said before walking away.

Naruto blinked at the waiter's back, 'Okaaay that was a little odd.' He thought before turning to the booths and running over in excitement.

"Hey guys!" he said as he arrived behind the booth on the left.

Everyone looked up in shock but Sasuke, "Nii-chan!" Sakura yelled with a smile as she glomped him.

Naruto caught her in mid air and placed her down with a laugh, "How was your mission?" she asked as she pulled him over to the booths, which sat Kakashi, Tsunade, Anko and Jiraiya at one table and Sasuke, Sakura, Shizune.

Naruto sat next to Sakura, who sat opposite Sasuke. Shizune was sitting in front of Naruto, "Yeah Naruto-kun, how'd it go?" she asked.

Naruto grinned widely as everyone listened intently to his retelling of the story, "So when we got there…before we returned home, he even gave us a bit of more than we originally asked for, by the way Baa-chan, how do I divide this up and give it to the team?" Naruto asked as he picked through the things he brought from Sarutobi's office and lifted out the envelope.

Tsunade held her hand out, "You're meant to hand that into the financial desk after handing in your mission, I'll bring it in when I go back later tonight." Tsunade said with a smile.

Anko hmmm'd, "So you're the one who brought in my latest victim?" she asked with a grin.

Naruto raised a brow, "Victim?" he asked.

Kakashi put an arm around Anko's shoulder, "Anko-chan is the best physical interrogator in Konoha, she's already started on him today." Kakashi explained.

Jiraiya raised a brow, "Really? Has he said anything?" he asked.

Anko nodded, "He's told us about everything except what he did with the summoning and jutsu scrolls he stole when he left, which annoyingly is the most important part of what we need to learn from him." She said with a childish pout.

Shizune patted Anko's hand, "It's okay, you get another crack at him in the morning right?" she said.

Anko nodded, "Yeah, but that's more for Kin's benefit. I'm just gonna show her the ropes on hiding your humanity when causing someone physical pain for the purposes of torture." She said with a dark smirk and slightly evil chuckle.

Tsunade poked Anko's head, with her super strength, it felt like a full on push. "Don't you go corrupting her, we don't want her to become another you." She said jokingly.

Anko laughed openly while Sasuke shivered, "Please don't do it." he muttered.

It was at that moment the waiter arrived, "Excuse me, may I take your order?" he asked as he help up a notepad and clicked his pen.

The waiter took the orders for the group and went to have them made, the group chatted about the specifics in Naruto's mission until the food arrived.

Nearing the end of the meal Naruto said, "So Tenten's gonna train Neji how to use a sword so that he can master his new weapon."

Tsunade stared at Naruto, "Y'know, that sword SHOULD be put back in the Kage vault." She said with a frown.

Jiraiya placed his hand on her shoulder, "Think about it Tsu-hime, it would be so much more useful in the hands of our ninja. Not sitting in a rusty old vault." He pointed out.

Tsunade sighed and folded her arms, "Alright, but he better not lose it." she grumbled.

The group finished their meals and their conversations. They split the bill and left the restaurant behind, separating at the door.

Kakashi hugged Anko to his chest and she smiled, "Wishing I could stay over the night?" she teased.

Kakashi chuckled, "I wish you could stay every night." He whispered in response.

Anko stepped away from his embrace and grinned widely, "Careful what you wish for Kashi-kun!" she said before poofing away.

Kakashi watched the smoke dissipate before turning to the others as Jiraiya, Tsunade and Shizune disappeared in a flurry of leaves.

He walked over to his squad and ruffled Naruto's and Sasuke's hair, "Well boys and girls, home time?" he asked as he eye smiled at them.

Sasuke smirked with a nod while Sakura and Naruto grinned up at their sensei, "Yeah Ouji!" the two yelled.

Kakashi hopped onto the building next to him, before his eye widened as Sakura shot passed in a pink blur, Naruto flew by a white streak and Sasuke trailed behind with his curse mark active.

Kakashi stopped for a moment and blinked, "Huh." He muttered as his squad disappeared into the distance.

He just smirked as he held a hand sign and poofed to the house.

############## SASUKE'S POV ####################

"Ahh good, you finally made it." Ibiki said as he opened the wrought iron door for Sasuke.

Sasuke just nodded and stepped inside, "Why is it so cold in here?" he asked.

Ibiki chuckled, "The senses of touch are much more acute when the human body is in a cool environment." He said as he closed the door and led Sasuke down the hallway.

Sasuke raised a brow, "And why is that important?"

Ibiki just smirked and opened another door, "See for yourself."

Sasuke took a step into the viewing room and looked through the one way glass only to let his eyes widened as he looked upon Kin demonstrate her last physical torture tactic.

Aoi screamed into his muffle as Kin pushed the stick of a serve of dango under his thumb nail and pressed it up until his nail split.

Sasuke watched as Kin ripped the stick out and pulled the cloth out of Aoi's mouth, "One last chance! Where are the village's scrolls?!" She yelled in his face.

Aoi glared up at her from behind his fringe, he spat his own blood in her face before looking back down.

Kin just smiled as the blood dripped from her chin, she stabbed her small stick through Aoi's forearm into the chair's armrest.

Aoi screamed and Kin shoved the cloth back into his wide open mouth. She raised her fist only for Anko's voice to sound around the room, "Enough! Physical torture won't work against him."

Kin stepped away from Aoi and walked from the room confidently, she exited from the door to Sasuke's left and the moment the door closed she fell to her knees, "Oh Log, how do you do this all day Anko-sensei?" she asked as Sasuke helped her to her feet.

Anko stepped from the shadows with a smirk, "I just have a good grip on who I am, and who the interrogator is. Get up Kin." She ordered.

Kin stood tall and nodded before swallowing deeply. "Hai sensei." She said as she squeezed Sasuke's hand.

Sasuke squeezed back and let Kin step out into the hallway where Anko was ushering her too, as Kin passed Ibiki leaned to Anko, "Did you even give him a go? Or did kin do all the work?" he asked.

Anko smiled with a shrug, "Naw, I was just teaching Anko 2.0 how to have some fun is all." She said finishing with a chuckle as she closed the door behind her.

Ibiki just sighed and turned to Sasuke who was glaring through the glass at Aoi. Ibiki stood next to him, "Do I sense anger Sasuke?" he asked.

Sasuke nodded, "If he broke sooner, Kin-chan wouldn't have had to enact such brutal methods."

Ibiki smirked, "How bout we teach him a lesson then?" he said as he walked over and grasped the door handle.

Sasuke blinked his Sharingan on, "You want me in there or watching from here?"

Ibiki's smirk grew into a wide grin, "Oh you will be right next to me this time Sasuke."

Aoi looked up wearily at the door when it opened, his eyes widened in fear as Ibiki walked in, his frame filling up the doorway, he barely cared as Sasuke followed behind him.

Ibiki grabbed the opposite chair and sat on it backwards, he leaned over the back rest and stared into Aoi's wide eyes.

Sasuke watched silently as Ibiki bored holes into Aoi's pupils with his gaze for near ten minutes.

Aoi was beginning to shake with fear, he finally blinked only to receive a punch to his face, knocking him onto his back.

Ibiki stood, "Didn't even last a minute, I think you could even break him Sasuke." Ibiki said with a wink towards Sasuke.

Sasuke nodded in realisation of the technique, 'Manipulate the target's mind.' He thought as he remembered the teachings Ibiki left him with the afternoon before.

Ibiki placed a foot on Aoi's chest, "Sasuke, did you master any?"

Sasuke smirked, "Only two, but my best is the last one on the list." He said as he stood to Aoi's left, opposite Ibiki.

Ibiki smirked and leaned down, forcefully holding Aoi's eyelids open, "Go for it."

Sasuke looked into Aoi's eyes with his Sharingan, and activated his new, modified technique, "Visual Jutsu: Structural Collapse." He declared, his Sharingan slowly spinning.

Sasuke fell into Aoi's mind and ripped out his knowledge, his past and specifically, anything to do with scrolls.

Sasuke pulled himself out and gasped, only now realising that Aoi was screaming the whole time.

Ibiki let go of Aoi's eyelids, letting them snap shut before he put his foot on his oesophagus, cutting off his yells, "You alright kid?" he asked as he glanced at Sasuke.

Sasuke nodded, "Wow, that was…exhilarating." He said as he breathed heavily.

Ibiki nodded, "Did you get it?"

Sasuke smirked, "Yep, though I almost got caught."

Ibiki frowned, "That's why you got to be quick, don't want the structure of his mind collapsing around you."

Sasuke nodded as Ibiki placed his iron boot on the leg of the interrogation chair and pushed it into its upright position.

Sasuke sighed heavily as Aoi stared in fear at his Sharingan, "What now?"

Ibiki smirked as he shoved the cloth back into Aoi's mouth, "If you got all the information on the scrolls then we're done for now, I can finish up later."

The two walked from the room as Aoi screamed after them, his mouth muffled and tears pouring from his eyes in defeat.

##################################

*Knock Knock*

"Come on in."

Ibiki opened the door to Tsunade's office with Sasuke by his side. They stood at attention in front of Tsunade's desk, as her clones worked at smaller desks behind her, and bowed, "Hokage-sama." They both said.

Tsunade looked up from her desk and smiled, "How did the interrogation go?" she asked.

Ibiki placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, "I let Sasuke take lead for his first go, and I must say he nailed it."

Tsunade raised a brow, "Really? Well what did you find out Sasuke?" she asked with a smirk.

Sasuke took a step forward, "When I followed the prisoner's thoughts of those scrolls, it took me to a time before he joined the Hidden Rain Village. It was an underground trading market for scrolls an ninja weaponry." He explained.

Hani, who was looking over the clone Tsunades, turned and 'stared' at Sasuke, "Did you see any signage near the market entrance? Anything mentioning 'Lost' or 'Missing'?"

Tsunade and Ibiki both seemed shocked at her sudden interest, while Sasuke just nodded, "Yes ma'am, it was called 'Lost Ninja Market', appears to be based in northern water country, there's no ninja related factions near there so it's kind of a sanctuary for Missing Ninjas. Or at least that's the kind of thoughts Aoi was having as he entered it."

Hani nodded, "Tsunade-chan, you will set up a B-rank mission to retrieve as many scrolls as you can from the market. Tell your ninjas to buy the scrolls first but I'll write a list for the scrolls they'll need to get no matter what." She said.

Tsunade spun to face Hani, "Hold up, what's this market? What scrolls?" she asked.

Hani sighed, "Do you remember your team's first mission as the legendary sannin?"

Tsunade nodded, "Yeah, we had to track down some missing ninja who stole the Naara clan's ultimate shadow jutsu scroll. We were driven off by a huge gang of missing ninjas. What does that have to do with anything?" she asked.

Hani nodded, "Orochimaru lead that mission, he was the ninja who discovered the 'Lost Ninja Market.' Konoha is the only hidden village that actually knows it exists, but we lost track of its location when Orochimaru left with all his things. This is our chance!" Hani said with a wrinkled smile.

Tsunade shook her head again, "Wait, wait, a chance for what?"

Ibiki nodded, "A chance to rediscover the location of this market AND of these scrolls." He answered.

Tsunade smiled as she caught up with what the two were saying, "Okay! I get it, let's get those scrolls asap!" she turned to the confused Sasuke, "Now Sasuke, we'll need location specifics, so I want you to go down there and find out how he found out about it, AND how he got there."

Sasuke slowly nodded, "Will do Tsunade-Baa-chan." He said with a smirk.

Tsunade whipped out an empty scroll from her desk, "I'll write up the mission now," she hesitated, "but we can't send out any Jonin, or high profile Chunnin. What if they're recognised by nearby Missing ninjas?" she asked herself.

Hani coughed politely and gestured to the boys in the room, reminding Tsunade of their presence, "What are you two still here? Get going! We need that information!" she yelled as she waved them away.

Ibiki grabbed Sasuke's shoulder, "Hai Tsunade-sama." He said before the two disappeared in Ibiki's shunshin.

Tsunade spun in her chair to face Hani Naara, "Can you get started on that list?" she asked.

Hani waved her hand, causing her shadow to pick up a pen and begin writing names on the scroll on Tsunade's desk.

Tsunade smiled, "The classics still amaze." She said as she grabbed another scroll and began writing the mission specifics.

#################################

"You needed to see me Sarutobi-sensei?" Jiraiya asked as he stepped into Hiruzen's office.

Said grandfather raised his head and smiled, "Yes I do Jiraiya-kun." He said as one of his clones tossed a scroll to him.

The original caught it and held it out for Jiraiya, "This is a mission that I will personally be employing you for." He said as Jiraiya picked up the scroll from his hand.

Jiraiya raised a brow as he read along the scroll's title, "An S-rank village defence mission?"

Sarutobi nodded, "I want you to find a way to make these new trees into an outer wall defence for the village, I'm thinking something with seals since that is Konoha's forte now that whirlpool is no more."

Jiraiya smiled as he pocketed the mission scroll, "Alright, I'll take it. Although it may take a while, I'll run as fast as I can."

Sarutobi nodded as his student left the room through the window as per usual, "Good luck Jiraiya."

#########################

Sasuke stepped out of the interrogation room and closed the door behind him, turning to Ibiki he said, "I got the exact location, he found out through rumours told to him by Orochimaru himself."

Ibiki nodded, "You reckon you can write it out on a map?"

Sasuke smirked "Even better, you still have his things?"

Ibiki raised a brow and nodded, he walked gestured to a table in the corner of the viewing room. Sasuke approached the table and lifted the ninja pouch. Inside, he grabbed Aoi's diary and ripped the leather cover off of the book.

Movement in the interrogation room caused him to look through the one way glass, he noticed that Aoi responded to the book being damaged even though he couldn't possibly see or hear them. "A chakra guard?" Ibiki muttered.

Sasuke sent chakra into the weak seal and broke it easily, unsealing another scroll from the inside.

Sasuke turned with a smirk and opened the scroll to show three maps with starred areas and highlighted paths, "We got location, basic layout AND map of the storage area. Looks like Aoi already thought of breaking in before he realised just how dangerous that could be." Sasuke pointed out.

Ibiki grinned, "You better take that straight to Hokage-sama, set up the mission details with her while I finish up here. I'll fill in the report as long as you write down absolutely everything you got from Aoi. Got it?"

Sasuke nodded and grabbed all of Aoi's things, including his combat umbrella, "Yes sir, do you think anyone will care if I have this? I want to try something I read from one of the Uchiha's old weapon scrolls."

Ibiki shrugged, "That's not up to me, you'll have to ask Hokage-sama, now get goin." Ibiki ordered as he stepped into the interrogation room and closed the door.

Sasuke smirked and holding all of Aoi's things, shunshin'd to the entrance of the Hokage tower.

########################

"So these are the fourteen scrolls presumably located at the market?" Tsunade asked as she began copying the list onto the mission scroll.

Hani nodded as her shadow place another piece of paper in front of Tsunade, "And these are the four weapons stolen from Konoha's vault. They haven't been seen since so I can only presume since no one is using them they are more than likely at this market place."

Tsunade nodded before her eyes widened as she read the first item, "Grandpa's automated weapon scroll?" she asked as she then scanned the others.

"Yes, it went missing after his last battle against Madara. Originally we thought it was destroyed, but as they remaining weapons were being transported back to the village they were summoned away from us. And that is only possible if someone sent their chakra into the scroll and the weapons were resealed." She explained as Tsunade finished copying the names of the scrolls and weapons.

Tsunade was about to reply when a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in."

Sasuke let himself in and bowed, still holding all of Aoi's things in his grasp he asked, "Excuse me Hokage-sama, what do you want me to do with the maps?"

Tsunade blinked in shock, "You already finished drawing a map? Wait, map-S? As in plural?"

Sasuke just nodded, "Yes, plural." He said as he stepped up to her desk and placed the scroll down for her to examine.

She waved for him to sit while she looked over the maps, "Wow, these are very precise Sasuke, good work."

Sasuke smirked, "Thankyou Hokage-sama." He said smugly.

Tsunade watched Sasuke as he smiled, she could see that it wasn't completely real. 'He's still hiding behind that Uchiha mask… I might regret this but I have to shoe him someone still cares.' She thought, so she stood and walked around the table to him.

Sasuke looked at her in confusion before she hugged him tightly, like he'd seen her do to Naruto.

Tsunade talked softly as Hani pretended she wasn't in the room, "I know you and Sakura call me Baa-chan already, but I want you to know that to me, you three are my true kids. I care about you all, so if you need to drop your façade and talk, please come to me alright?" she asked as she held him tightly.

Sasuke's facial expression froze and he shook as a few silent tears dropped from his eyes, "Thank you baa-chan," He let out softly, "But I'm not sure I know how." He muttered before swallowing deeply.

Tsunade leaned out of the hug and looked into his eyes, "Please try sometimes, since I've met you I've seen lots of 'the last Uchiha' and not much of 'Sasuke.'"

Sasuke nodded and she wiped his tears, "May I have the battle umbrella baa-chan?" he asked.

Tsunade nodded as she stood tall again, "Sure you can, and can I ask you to be the one to lead this mission? I plan to let it launch by tomorrow." She said as she walked back to her desk.

Sasuke showed one of his rare 'true' smiles, "Thankyou Baa-chan, but I'm afraid that would be a bad idea. After all, you did say you need low profile ninjas and I am easily recognisable as the last Uchiha." He explained as he placed Aoi's things on her desk and picked up the umbrella for himself.

Tsunade hmmm'd, "Good point, I think I know who to send then. Thanks again for all your help Sasuke." She said with a smile.

Sasuke knew a dismissal when he heard it, so he nodded and softly muttered, "Thankyou baa-chan, for everything." Before he leapt out the window and shunshin'd away.

Tsunade watched him leave with a soft smile before she felt a hand on her shoulder, she turned to look up at Hani, "That was quite…spontaneous of you Tsunade. What brought that on?" she asked.

Tsunade sighed, "Call it a woman's intuition, I felt that Sasuke was in emotional pain. And he's precious to me now so I can't just let him suffer." She said as she spun back to face her desk.

Hani frowned, "I didn't feel anything of the sought."

Tsunade scoffed, "I said woman's intuition, not elderly intuition."

*WHACK*

Hani slapped Tsunade's hand with her ruler, "Get back to work before I make you." He said gruffly.

Tsunade grumbled and rubbed her sore hand before she went back to adding the map to the mission scroll. "Mangy old hag."

*WHACK*

"OW!"

########################

*Knock Knock*

Hiruzen looked up at the clock on his wall and noted that it was exactly midday, "Come on in Homura."

Homura opened the door and smiled softly, "Hello Saru, how's the new job?" he asked politely as his gaze floated over the sorting clones.

Hiruzen gestured to the chair opposite himself, "It is actually quite relaxing. I get to look after my ninjas and oversee the missions without all the pressure and those stupid council requests and other Hokage duties." He said with a chuckle.

Homura sat and chuckled, "Sounds right up your alley," he said before leaning forward and turning serious, "Is something wrong Saru?"

Hiruzen sighed, "Homura, you and I both know that Danzo is up to something, he always is. But why do you always help him with his schemes? I know you believe in the village the same way I do." He trailed off as he tried to discern Homura's actions.

Homura sat in silence for a moment, "She loves him Saru." He muttered.

Hiruzen sighed, "You'll still follow her?" he asked.

Homura nodded, "Even though Koharu loves Danzo, I do not care. I love her, and helping Danzo makes her happy," he tightened his hand into a fist, "Even though I care for the village in the same way you do, my will of fire isn't as strong as yours. I can't put the village before the one I love." He said as he stared blankly at Hiruzen's desk.

Hiruzen sighed, "It's been Fifty two years Homura, don't you think it's time to move on? She still doesn't see your feelings for what they are."

Homura looked at his teammate sadly, "That doesn't mean the feelings aren't there. I will always follow her. I'm sorry." He said as he stood.

Hiruzen sighed before whipping his pointer out and quickly ripping the hidden seal from inside Homura's collar, "So he still uses you as a spy?" he asked as he breathed a small flame onto the piece of paper.

Homura didn't even care that he was caught, "Yes he does."

Hiruzen sighed, "Is Danzo still running ROOT missions?"

"He is trying, but since you are the only person handling missions now, it's hard for him to get the ones this village rejects. Especially the B and higher ranked missions." Homura explained.

Hiruzen nodded, "And if he did have someone who works for him in this office, he would be able to go back to doing the darker missions secretly again right?" he asked as he reached into one of his drawers.

Homura frowned in confusion but nodded, "Of course he could."

Hiruzen pulled out a two pieces of paper, "In that case I need you to listen," he said as he placed the papers on his desk for Homura to read, "instead of using clones every day for my work here, I've discovered a theoretical system of Minato's that I completed just yesterday. You see, I can make Koharu's and your jobs redundant with seals." He said as he placed an A3 sheet on the table, showing the sealing array, "Now, if I do that I would like the two of you to work up here with me."

Homura sighed as he read between the lines on what Hiruzen was saying, "Of course we'll accept. And I assume you'll have us bring the rejected missions to Danzo?"

Hiruzen shook his head and chuckled, "Now Homura, you know it is illegal for me to ask you to do that. If you'll read these outlines for the two of you, I'm sure you'll understand exactly what I need from you." He said as he lifted the sealing array, uncovering the two sheets he withdrew earlier.

Homura looked over the contracts and nodded, "So, I will be organising what missions are acceptable for the village and the ones that will be rejected. Koharu will be handling the mission rankings with the old system. And you will be handling the ninjas that will be taking the missions as well as the mission reports." Homura understood what was needed of him, "I will gladly accept, this setup will help the village immensely." He said as he signed his contract and picked up the other.

Hiruzen nodded as Homura stood, "Thankyou Homura, I'm trusting you with this so please don't make me regret it." he said.

Homura nodded, "You know me Saru, this set-up will help the village in every way so you know I will stand by it. Once I tell Koharu-chan that it will help Danzo and his Anbu, she'll sign up immediately." He confirmed as he walked from the room.

Hiruzen smiled, "You'll both begin work tomorrow morning, but don't tell Koharu or Danzo our deal. Make it seem as though you convinced me to do this and it is a secret arrangement. Though I'm sure Danzo will somehow know anyway." He said.

Homura grasped the doorhandle, "Thank you for this Saru, I know how hard this would've been to get past Tsunade-chan. We will be here at six in the morning so you can show us how to run things."

Hiruzen nodded, "I will see you then." He said as the door closed.

##########################################

Sasuke was walking home, his new umbrella in his grasp as he analysed it with his Sharingan, '…capable of holding twelve-hundred needles and launching in six rounds of two-hundred, made of iron and chakra conductive wood so it also can be used in close up combat…when I'm done modifying this I will have the perfect complementary weapon to my kusawarigama.' He thought as he turned the last corner before entering the Uchiha district.

"Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke looked up to see Ino running towards him, she had her arms open as if to embrace him.

He blinked her into a Genjutsu with his Sharingan, making her mind see him at a constant distance to what they were currently at.

This had the simple effect of her running straight past him and continuing to run towards where she thought he was.

He smirked at the simple genius of his idea, 'Too easy.' He thought with a smirk as he entered his district.

A drop of rain hit his nose, causing him to look up "Hn." He grunted as he frowned at the beginning of the heavy rain.

He sighed as he realised he still had eight blocks worth of distance to walk, he decided to just analyse his new weapon some more.

Looking at the umbrella for a moment he blinked, "Oh…" he muttered as he realised a simple and rather obvious solution to the rain.

He opened the umbrella and sat it over his shoulder, safely covering him from the rain. 'Looks like a normal umbrella, but it anyone attacked me from any angle, the moment they got close I could skewer them with needles.' He thought with another smirk as he trekked home in the rain.

###########################

Neji was returning home from his first session of sword training, which he only stopped because of the rain. He was only practising a basic kata at the moment but every step he took, it felt as though the sword moved closer into his very soul.

Neji blinked at the thought, 'No wonder Hanabi-sama calls me Shakespearian, I'm so dramatic.'

He paused for a moment in his steps, 'What is a Shakespeare?'

He shook his head to dismiss himself of the thought of an aged man with a fluffy neck brace and thought back on his sword katas.

Just imagining his pale yellow blade swinging through the air calmed him and made him smile, 'I can almost see it now.'

"OOMPH!"

Neji fell to the ground and looked at what had collided with him. Resting on his chest was pale blonde hair, nearly reminding him of his sword.

She lifted her head and their eyes met, he gasped as he saw her eyes 'Like the skies of a free bird.' He thought.

She blinked, "Oh, umm sorry Neji-san." Ino said as she leaned off of him and onto her knees.

Neji blinked as he suddenly recognised who it was he was admiring, "Ino?" he asked.

Ino looked at his shocked face and raised a brow, "What?" she asked as she noticed he was staring at her.

He just continued to stare, unsure of what to say to her.

Which was starting to freak her the hell out, "Hello? Earth to pale eyes?" she said as she clicked her fingers in front of his face.

He shook his head again and said the first thing that came to mind, "Fwah?"

She just looked at him incredulously for a moment before standing up and taking a step away, "Umm, okay then," she turned away to mutter under her breathe, "Freak."

She began walking away as rain started to fall on them, "Cya later Neji-san." She said as she left back towards her house, the collision driving Sasuke's Genjutsu from her mind.

Neji just sat in the rain and watched her walk away, 'My Juliette.' He thought as he sat in a forming puddle, daydreaming of 'his sky eyed beauty'.

#################################

"Thank you for escorting me home Naruto-kun."

"Anytime Ten-chan, I couldn't just let you walk home in this rain. Especially with your injury."

Tenten sighed and leant against his side, he wrapped one arm around her while his other was in the air holding a quickly spinning giant shuriken with a rasengan in its grip acting as a super speed swirling umbrella.

Naruto smiled up at his creation, "I wonder if this could have any combat uses."

Tenten smiled up at her boyfriend's face, "Knowing you, there could turn out to be hundreds."

Naruto smiled, "Say, I know this moment is kinda romantic and all, and I'm sorry to ruin it. But according to Shizune-neechan, because they stitched you back up with medical chakra your immune system will be a little weak for near a week. So do you want to take the shortcut home?" he asked.

Tenten raised a brow, "You know a shortcut?"

He nodded, "I'll take that as a yes!" he said as he dissipated the Rasengan and let the shuriken spin down his arm and stop on his bicep.

She covered her head, "Umm, still getting wet here." She pointed out.

Naruto held a hand sign, "Water prison jutsu." He said as he raised his hand above his head again.

Tenten stopped feeling rain hit her so she looked up. In a meter radius around them, the rain paused in mid air just above Naruto's hand and was slowly forming a big ball. "Well, at least we're dry but I don't see how that's a shortcut." She pointed out to try and hide her amazement.

Naruto smirked and held Tenten tight to his chest, causing her to blush. "This is one of my original jutsus, Water style: Slippery slide." He said before blowing a small pellet of water at their feet.

Naruto picked up Tenten on his hip and began using the water walk technique on the small stream of water. Since the flow was constant, the two were being pulled down the street at a fast jogging pace.

Tenten smiled as she watched the orb above them get bigger with each drop. But before she knew it, the ride was over and the two stood in front of her uncle's shop.

Naruto set her on her feet and smiled, "I guess I'll see you later Ten-chan." He said as he stepped away.

Tenten nodded, "Thanks again Naruto-kun. I'll see you later." She said as she took the last two steps to the shop door and entered.

Naruto smiled, "What a way to end the day." He muttered as he began to walk home, letting the orb of water and the rain fall on him.

He looked up at the clouds and smiled, 'I can feel the joy of the plants, they're excited to have some water again.' He thought as he walked past a particularly bright rose bush.

He rose into the air and pulled on his hood, "Time to go home." He muttered before he shot towards the family's house.

####################################

*Plink*

"Dammit."

*Plink*

"Where is it?"

Sakura ran around the upper floor of the house holding two buckets and a pan, placing them under the few leaks in the roof. The only problem was… "Where the hell is that dripping coming from?!" she screamed in frustration.

She became quiet and tried to listen for where the last source of dripping was coming from.

*Plink*

She walked down the hall towards Kin's room.

*Plink*

Stop. Take a few steps back towards the stairs.

*Plink*

The bathroom!

Sakura entered the bathroom and began looking around for the dripping water source, it took nearly half an hour, but she looked over the whole ceiling and couldn't find a single crack or puncture. No rain leaks.

She sighed, 'Who'd have thought the thing that defeats me is some damn rain?'

She sat on the edge of the tub and sighed.

*Plink*

She glared forward, "Stupid rain." She muttered.

*Plink*

She blinked and looked behind her and down.

*Plink*

She scowled as she saw the drop of water leave from the bath tap.

*Plink*

Sakura sighed, "Dammit." She muttered as she reached over and tightened the nozzle.

…

"FINALLY!"

Sakura jumped to her feet with a smile and left the bathroom, she walked around the second storey of the house to make sure there were no more leaks. Luckily there were none.

####################################

Sasuke just stepped into their yard when he heard a crash, a rather loud one at that.

Worried, Sasuke leapt up onto the roof of his house and looked around to see if anything had been damaged near him. Only for his eyes to widen in horror as he saw the torrents of water bursting through the village from the nearby dam, overflowing the rivers and streets.

He stared for a moment before he heard a shout, "Aniki! We have to help!"

He looked up to see Naruto hovering just above him, "C'mon! we gotta do something!" he yelled.

Sasuke nodded and began sprinting towards the edge of the roof, activating his curse mark. Naruto flew forward by his side as Sasuke used his enhanced strength to jump while throwing his umbrella through the open window of his room.

"Guys!"

Sasuke made the leap in a single jump but Naruto stopped in mid air and swooped down passed the window of his sister's room, he grasped her arm in a monkey grip and continued after his brother, dragging Sakura along with him.

###################################

"Go Nee-chan!" Naruto said as he threw Sakura at the ground in front of the massive torrent of water, putting her between it and the academy.

Sakura landed and spat a glob of mud at the ground, "EARTH STYLE: MUD WALL!"

The academy students watched in awe, as a giant wall of earth rose up to protect them. It split the torrent in two, around the academy on each side.

Sakura saw two students still outside, about to be picked up by the water "WHIP FIST!" she yelled as she propelled her gloves forward.

She gripped the student's shirts and pulled them up to her, barely helping them avoid the water and setting them down next to her on the wall, falling to her knees as she smiled at achieving her part.

#######################################

Sasuke stood in front of one oncoming torrent that was heading for the business district. Many civilians stared at the water in fear while others ran screaming. Sasuke stabbed the blade of his kusarigama into the ground and activated a seal along it's length, "SEALING ART: ARTHUR'S SWORD!" the blade became immovable from it's place in the stone pathway.

He quickly formed sixteen hand signs and enhanced the jutsu with his curse mark, "UCHIHA FIRE STYLE: FLAME FIELD!" he yelled as the torrent came within a meter of him.

Suddenly, a line of flame spread from his feet to the side of the street and formed a rectangle behind him. The torrent of water hit him, picking Sasuke up and throwing him around under water but his immovable weapon held him in roughly the same area.

As the water hit the field it evaporated instantly, causing a heavy steam to rise, but the torrent was now shrinking.

Sasuke's jutsu was eventually overrun by the amounts of water, but luckily he held it off long enough for some other ninja to enter the area, they quickly followed along with his plan as a wolf masked Anbu dove underground and pulled Sasuke by his weapon out of the flowing water.

The two surfaced as the last of Sasuke's jutsu collapsed and the wolf masked Anbu yelled, "GO!"

Of the twenty ninja gathered, the first eight formed seals, "EARTH STYLE: MUD WALL!"

They used the walls to redirect all the water into a single giant earthen hallway, right in front of the next twelve ninjas who stood along the wall's lengths, "FIRE STYLE: FIREBALL JUTSU!"

The massive balls of flame began to evaporate all the water, but the last thrush of it began to overpower the flames.

At that moment, Jiraiya pulled Sasuke and the Wolf masked Anbu to stand at the open end of the 'hallway'. "Sasuke give me fire! Kakashi we need a power boost!" Jiraiya yelled as he formed hand seals.

Finishing his last seal, Jiraiya yelled "MOVE!" causing everyone to leap away from the last quarter of the rushing water.

"TOAD STYLE: OIL BULLETS!"

"UCHIHA FIRE STYLE: FLAMETHROWER!"

"WIND STYLE: GREAT BREAKTHROUGH!"

The flamethrower's flames were spread by the wind and set fire to the oil, instantly superheating the remaining water and evaporating it into non-existence.

The heat fell away and the normal rain began to fall again as many of the ninjas calmed down, but not Sasuke, "Otouto went to handle the other one!" he said as he looked around in hopes of some sign of his brother.

Wolf placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, "Look up."

################################

Naruto flew over the top of his half of the massive water spout, 'Crap! It's gonna hit the Hokage tower!' he thought as he tried to think of an idea to stop the water or redirect it.

A light bulb switched on in his head, "Got it!" he declared as he dove at the water.

Many ninja stood in front of the Hokage tower, ready to evaporate the water or redirect it at a moment's notice.

Tsunade rose her arm, "Ready?!" she yelled.

"HAI HOKAGE-SAMA!" the ninjas replied.

"WATER STYLE: WATER DRAGON JUTSU!"

Every ninja paused in shock and stared as the giant torrent of water became an impossibly large water dragon, it began to rise up into the air.

Tsunade stared as the dragon flew above her head, over the Hokage tower and high into the air.

The dragon spiralled into the sky and began flying over the village, letting everyone see the massive being of water and the small blonde Chunnin standing on it's head.

Naruto smirked as he held onto the dragon with his chakra and rode it outside of the village and towards the lake located west of the village.

He spiralled into the air, turning the dragon into a midair whirlpool, then simply let go.

Tsunade stared as the giant dragon collapsed into the lake, splashing huge amounts of water into the surrounding forest.

Shizune stood next to her on top of the tower, "That was amazing." She mumbled, snapping Tsunade out of her shock.

Tsunade called out to all the gathered ninjas, "Crisis averted! Please everyone report back to your stations!"

Within minutes, the courtyard was empty except for Jiraiya and those he brought with him to the Hokage's tower.

########################

"In my office, now." Tsunade said as she opened her door.

Jiraiya entered, letting Wolf, Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto trail in behind him. Tsunade walked to her desk and sat down, "First of all, thankyou Chunnin squad seven for averting that crisis. All though we could've handled it since it happens almost every Spring at least once." She muttered the last under her breath.

Jiraiya chuckled as the children frowned, "C'mon tsu-hime, the kids acted instantly and expertly. Even though Sakura's effort in protecting the academy was kinda wasted since it's protected by barrier seals," Sakura twitched in irritation at hearing this news, "she managed to save two children who would've been killed or mutilated.

Jiraiya continued, "And Sasuke gave use the extra few minutes needed to completely stop the water from destroying some buildings in the shopping district. And Naruto, well I can't even comprehend how he did what he did." He said with a grin.

Wolf moved his mask to the side of his face, revealing him to be Kakashi…what a shock. "Hey, I helped out too." He muttered.

Tsunade ignored him, "Jiraiya-kun, have you made any progress in what sensei asked you to do?" she asked.

Kakashi looked at his feet and sighed, Naruto patted his arm, "It's okay Ouji, Baa-chan's just grumpy today." He said with a smile.

Jiraiya nodded in response to Tsunade's question, "Sure have, although I want to recruit two people for this ongoing mission, it should only be a few days at best."

Tsunade nodded, "Sure, tell me who and I'll inform Sarutobi sensei to take them off the board." She said.

Jiraiya stepped back and placed a hand on both Sasuke and Naruto's shoulders. "These two." He said with a grin.

Tsunade shrugged with a soft smile, "Alright, do you two accept?"

Sasuke frowned, "We can't accept until we know what the mission consists of."

Naruto yelled, "Sure we'll do it!"

Tsunade grinned at Naruto while Sasuke looked at him incredulously, "I'll take that as a yes for the both of you. After this meeting, follow Jiraiya and do what he says." She said as she stamped a sheet in confirmation.

Sasuke went to ask about the mission but Jiraiya cut him off, "Anything else Tsu-hime?"

She nodded and turned to Sakura, "Sakura-chan, Sarutobi-sensei wants to see you when you're done here. He has your first Chunnin Leader mission ready." She said with a smile.

Sakura's brow rose in shock, "Already? Are you sure I'm ready Baa-sama?" she asked.

Tsunade nodded, "Sure you are, especially if this knucklehead managed one." she said with a gesture towards Naruto.

Naruto scowled, "Baa-chan!" he yelled childishly.

She just laughed and waved them off, "Alright, Jiraiya and Chunnin squad seven, you are dismissed.

Everyone but Kakashi left the room with a wave, as the door closed Kakashi turned to his kage, "Do you need anything from me Hokage-sama?" he asked.

Tsunade nodded, "Yes, I just wanted to ask. Are you still able to access the white chakra of the Hatake clan?"

#################################

*Knock Knock*

"Come on in."

Sakura opened the door to the Third Hokage's office, known as Mission HQ, and smiled as she noticed Shikamaru and Lee standing in their Chunnin vests.

"You wanted to see me Sandaime-sama?" she asked.

Hiruzen smiled and gestured to the two in front of him, "I have chosen a specific mission for you to lead Sakura-chan, these two will be your teammates for the length of the mission." He said as he placed a scroll on his desk.

Sakura looked between Shikamaru and lee, who both nodded to her with smiles of their own. She reflected the smile and picked up the scroll and read the title, "B-rank Mission: Scroll Retrieval." She looked up at the Third and smiled, "We accept."

######################################

Sasuke yawned and de-activated his Sharingan as he looked out the window at the rising sun, "Morning already?" he mumbled as he looked back at his desk and analysed his final seal.

He nodded and placed it into his weapons pouch. Standing from his chair, he cracked his back and walked from his room and down stairs.

He blinked as he saw Sakura already cooking and Jiraiya sitting at the table, "Morning Sasuke." Jiraiya said as he placed his own sheet of sealing paper on the table, "Did you make any progress? Cause I managed five different defencive seals, but I can't fuse them just yet." Jiraiya said with a sigh.

Sasuke trudged over to the table and placed his seal over jiraiya's, "Finished with all the key points you wanted." He said before walking over to Sakura.

Sasuke placed his arms around her waist in a hug and rested his head on her shoulder, "Good morning Sakura-hime." He whispered in her ear.

Sakura smiled and leaned back into his embrace, "Good morning Sasuke-kun, did you stay up all night?"

He nodded "Mhmm." He hummed in affirmation, "Why are you up so early?" he asked.

She smiled and kissed his cheek as she turned holding the pan, "I have my mission remember?" she said.

His eyes widened, "That's today?"

She nodded as she moved some food from her pan to each of the plates on the table, "Yes silly it is. I leave in twenty minutes."

Sasuke's brow furrowed but he nodded, "Does it have to be only Shika and Lee that come with you? Can't we send more people?"

She just smiled, understanding that he was worried, "Three might be too many already, we don't want to be noticed by anyone." She said as she sat down at the table and began to eat.

Sasuke just sighed as he sat down and began eating his own serving of food.

About halfway through their meals, Kin slid down the hand rail and landed at the foot of the stairs, she ran into the kitchen and flipped some of the already made breakfast between two slices of bread, "Sorry guys I gotta go! Good luck with your mission Sakura-chan!" she said before giving a shocked Sakura a quick kiss on the lips and running out the door in a hurry with her breakfast sandwich.

Jiraiya and Sasuke stared at Sakura, who reached up and touched her lips, "Did she just kiss me?" she asked quietly.

Sasuke was snapped out of his daze when he heard jiraiya's perverted giggle. He looked over to see the aged pervert scribbling in his notebook.

"heheheh, yes she did!" Jiraiya giggled before a kitchen knife slashed his notebook in half thanks to Sasuke.

Moments later, Naruto hovered down the stairs in his outfit. "Nee-chan! Are you ready for your mission?" he asked.

Sakura jumped to her feet, "Yeah! Thanks for reminding me Nii-san!" she yelled as she grabbed her empty plate and placed it in the sink.

Naruto grinned, "You going now?"

Sakura nodded, "Yep!" she kissed Sasuke on the cheek, "Bye Sasuke-kun," she hugged Naruto, "Wish me luck!" she yelled behind her as she ran out the door.

Jiraiya smiled as Naruto sat down to eat and Sasuke stared after Sakura, "She'll be fine Sasuke, if the baka here managed a mission with gennin, she can easily handle this one with two Chunnin backing her up." He said with a gesture towards Naruto.

Naruto frowned and flicked a seed under the table, "Wood style: Itchy Pollen." He said.

The seed busted into a flower then into a pink cloud around Jiraiya. "ITCHY!" he yelled as he ran out of the house and dove into the small lake in the Uchiha complex.

Sasuke smirked and finished his meal, 'Everything will turn out fine, I know it.'

###################################################################

Chapter End.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty Seven: Scroll Market pt. 1 and A new village defence.

"Alright, we'll stop here." Sakura said as she landed in a clearing inside water country.

Shikamaru landed and fell onto his back, "Goodnight then." He mumbled as he rolled onto his side.

Lee lifted Shikamaru back onto his feet with one hand by the collar, "Rejoice comrade! As we are now within water country now it is time to get ready to infiltrate the Lost Ninja Market!" he yelled.

Sakura slammed some tape over Lee's mouth, "Thank you for the enthusiasm Lee, but now is not the time to be yelling out our mission objectives." She said.

Lee nodded, "MHMMF MHH!"

Shika just sighed, "So what's the plan captain?" he asked.

Sakura sat on the ground and placed her large back-pack on the ground, "These are the outfits Tsunade-Baachan got for us for the first part of the mission." She explained when she pulled out three packages.

Shikamaru raised a brow, "You already have a plan?" he asked.

Sakura nodded, "For the infiltration and hopefully for a major portion of the mission."

"Mmhmf?"

"What?"

Lee nudged Shika and nodded to the packs, "I think he wants to know what's in the packs, and I want to know the plan." Shika explained.

Sakura nodded, "Alright, well Lee and I are just gonna be observers and backup. We reckon since it's a village of missing ninjas they don't really care about the little things like names and such." She explained as she pulled her outfit out of the first package.

Taking off her headband she put on a hidden star headband with a slash through it, "We got one of these each, and a hoodie for Lee and I." she explained as she put on the hooded cloak, which hid her left arm in a way that makes it seem that it was cut half off. It also hid her pink hair from view. "Along with the cloak, I will edit my skin tone with some of this special make-up," she said as she held up a small ovular case of make-up and face paint.

Lee opened his package and put it on his cloak and headband, the illusionary technique on it made him seem much taller than he really was.

Shikamaru pulled out his package and raised a brow, noticing a full hidden star Chunnin outfit. Equipped with a slashed through headband, "And what is my role exactly?" he asked.

Sakura smiled, "You are buying scrolls for our Jonin sensei that is currently on a mission. We ran from the village to save the lives of myself and Lee, I lost an arm and Lee's chakra system was destroyed. You are our protection while sensei isn't here. Got it?" she explained.

Shika nodded, "Easy enough, but I'm not exactly loaded with cash." He said as he took off the upper portion of his outfit to change.

Sakura smiled and pulled out another package from her backpack, "This contains 'stolen' cash for the capture of some missing nins of the leaf village. We commandeered it before anyone got wind of our plan." She explained as she poured twenty scrolls on the ground.

Shika and Lee's eyes opened in shock, "Where'd the cash really come from?" Shika asked.

Sakura smiled, "Village bank, Baa-chan reckons it wouldn't be fair to steal all of the scrolls. Even missing nin need money to live after all."

Lee frowned, "Mmfmh?"

Sakura just looked at him pointedly, "Lee, we don't know what you're saying with the tape on your mouth."

He reached up and yanked on the tape, only for it not to budge. He ended up rolling around trying to pry it off.

Sakura watched him with a smile, 'Now I see why the guys found this so funny, it's hilarious when it's happening to someone else,' she thought before turning to Shikamaru, who had just pulled on the new slacks. "Well you certainly look the part of a runaway ninja of the star village." She complimented.

He raised a brow, "Umm, thanks?"

Lee stood to his feet, shocking Sakura and Shikamaru as he whipped out twin short swords and slashed the tape off of his face. "YOSH!" he yelled as he was finally free.

Sakura eyes hardened, "Lee!"

He froze and faced Sakura, intimidated by her order, "Hai Sakura-taicho?" he muttered.

She just stared for a moment, "Set up our tents and get changed into your outfit, when your done I have some," she glanced at the twin short swords in his grasp, "questions."

Lee nodded, bowing to the order of the team captain, "Yes Ma'am." He said as he grabbed the small tent bag and began setting it up.

Shikamaru lay on his back again as Sakura began unfolding the material of her headband, "So captain, you do realise that it is highly doubtful the items on our list are for sale at the moment right? The head of this little market probably keeps them for himself considering their value." He muttered.

Sakura nodded, "Yeah probably, but it doesn't hurt to hope." She glanced over at Lee and eyed the twin short swords resting across his lower back, "Since when does Lee use short swords?"

Shika shrugged, "I heard Tenten left him with some scrolls before her mission with Naruto. Apparently the Third recommended he pick up some weapon skills as well as Taijutsu. Also, you see those seals on the hilt?"

Sakura squinted and nodded when she spotted them, "They look familiar…"

"They should. Those are some of Sasuke's weight seals. Those swords should weigh as much as a fully stocked fridge by now. And that's individually." Shika explained.

Sakura raised a brow, "How do you know all of this?" she asked.

He shrugged before rolling onto his side, "A little bird."

Sakura sighed in defeat, not bothering to question him any further. Turning back to Lee, she noticed he had just finished setting up the team's tent. "Good work Lee." She said as she stood.

Lee grinned a sparkly smile, "Thankyou Taicho! Would you like me to take first watch tonight? I am full of energy and would like to practice my Kenjutsu!" he proclaimed happily.

Sakura smiled at his enthusiasm, "Sure if you really want to. We'll do a basic split, three hours watch each. That way we'll be up and on our way by sunrise." She explained.

"HAI TAICH-oof!"

Lee curled into a ball and hugged his belly as Sakura cracked her knuckles, "Lee, no more yelling while on any missions with me. I don't care what your sensei or any other captains say. Got it?" she ordered as she glared down at him.

Lee wheezed and held a thumbs up, "Sure, thing." He muttered before crawling off to the side.

Sakura sighed and looked back at the tent to see Shika already crawling in, "Goodnight." He muttered.

Sakura shook her head and smirked, 'He's certainly not changed since the academy.' She thought.

She glanced back over to Lee to see him back on his feet, acting as though he wasn't unable to breathe just moments before. 'And he's the same I remember him too.'

Sakura smiled up at the moon, "This is gonna be good." She muttered before crawling into the tent and off to sleep.

################################################

"There's no way this'll work!" Jiraiya yelled as he read over Sasuke's sealing array.

Sasuke sighed, "And why not?" he asked.

Jiraiya glared at his sealing student, "You're using only six parts of the eight trigrams seal and trying to force it with a full absorption AND transference! It can't happen!"

Sasuke sighed again and glanced at Naruto, "Wanna help me test it out Otouto?" he said as he threw another copy of the seal onto the wall.

Naruto smirked, trusting in his brother's ingenuity, "RASENGAN!" he yelled as he launched at the wall of jiraiya's room.

Jiraiya watched with wide eyes as Naruto struck the wall next to the seal, the rasengan slowly began to dissipate before it was suddenly gone.

Jiraiya turned to Sasuke, "How?" he asked.

Sasuke smirked, "Try looking into the eight trigrams seal. Like a wise man once told me, 'Using a seal and knowing it are two different things'." Sasuke said as he peeled his seal off of the wall.

Jiraiya smirked as his own words were turned against him, "All right fine I'll look into it." he said before looking over his copy of the seal.

Sasuke let Jiraiya go over it again and turned to Naruto, "How are you going with the medical Ninjutsu?"

Naruto, who was once again crouched in midair, replied, "Actually, it's pretty easy. But I am having some…disagreements, with my tenants." Naruto said with a sad frown.

Sasuke raised a brow, "What do you mean?"

Naruto sighed shrugged, "I don't wanna talk about it right now. Can we talk later?" he said with a nod towards Jiraiya.

Sasuke understood that Naruto wanted some true privacy, so he just nodded, "Well I guess I can wait."

Jiraiya sighed, getting Sasuke and Naruto's attention, "You're using the layout of the eight trigrams but you're using your own fusion seals. No one would've noticed if you didn't point it out." He sighed again before getting to his feet.

Sasuke rose to his feet as well while Naruto just hovered next to him, "So you approve of the seal?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya nodded, "Yeah I guess, have you got your part ready brat?" he asked in return.

Naruto smiled and nodded, "Sure do Ero-sensei! Hashirama-sama explained it to me and I taught myself the rest. The key, is feeling the trees." He said with a wave, acting out branches swaying in the wind, "Whoossssssssshhhhhh!" he finished with as he floated out the door.

Sasuke sighed, "Let's just go get this approved by the Hokages." He muttered as he followed after his sound effect making brother.

Jiraiya just laughed as he picked up Sasuke's seal and followed after the two.

#################################################

"Is that it Shika-kun?" Sakura asked in a fake intimidated voice.

Shikamaru nodded and spoke louder than necessary, "This is where sensei said to go, but I can't see the market." He over acted his nervousness and scanned around them.

Not a second later, two ninjas jumped out of the nearby river and landed one in front and one behind the trio, "Oh? They're just kids." A tall man in front of them said, most of his body was hidden by his outfit but they could see that his cheeks were cut in a way that made his smile stretch across his face, but they were held together with stitches, his pupilless turquoise eyes watched the trio with boredom.

"Shut up Hibuki!" the ninja behind them said, "They could be more dangerous than that! This is the ninja world!" he pointed out as he fingered a dagger.

Instantly, the trio got into their act. Lee stood between Sakura and the rear ninja while Shikamaru took a stance between 'Hibuki' and her, "Please, we mean no harm. Are you two the gate guards?" Shikamaru asked.

Hibuki nodded, "Are you lost?" he asked.

Shikamaru remembered the entrance code, "I'm just avoiding being found." He quoted.

The two ninjas stood from their stances, "Alright, sorry kids but we had to make sure." The ninja behind the group said as he sheathed his dagger, "Alright, original village and names?" he asked as his partner took out a clip board.

"Shika Kuchiki, Ex-Chunnin of the hidden star." Shikamaru said.

"Sakiri Ichigo, Ex-Gennin of the hidden star," Sakura said as she pulled her hood back, showing her bandage and cloth wrapped head that was hiding her pick hair, "And this is Lee Minho, Ex-gennin of the hidden star." She explained with a gesture to Lee.

Hibuki narrowed his eyes at the hooded Lee, "And why doesn't Lee answer for himself?"

Lee looked down in 'sadness' before pulling his hood off, revealing his bowl cut and nothing else as his entire lower face was wrapped in bandages.

Sakura held Lee's hand with her only visible one, "Lee-kun saved me when we ran away. But he can't talk anymore cause of…the burns." She muttered 'sadly'.

The ninja standing at their rear eyes widened in realisation, "Ah, right. Sorry about that," he said before turning to Shikamaru, "We over heard you talking of a sensei. Who and where is he?"

Shika nodded and took charge, "Musashi Shion, he is our Jonin sensei and he came with us when we left the village. He's on a mission right now to earn some cash but he said he'd meet us here in a week." He said calmly.

Hibuki nodded, "Kurosaki, let them through. You wanna get 'em a tour guide?" he asked.

His partner, Kurosaki, nodded, "Sure I guess. I think Memo is free at the moment." He said as he dove back into the river.

Hibuki finished writing their details down and placed his clip board back into his jacket, "Alright, I'll take you to the visitor's entrance." He said as he water walked over the river.

Shika knelt and let Lee climb onto his back and he and Sakura walked after Hibuki, who raised a brow and asked, "Why you gotta carry him?"

Shikamaru sighed as he let Lee down, "Lee has lost the ability to use his chakra." Shika said, even though everyone knew Lee could manipulate chakra, but not mould it and had the same level as a beginning academy student at best.

Hibuki stared at Lee who just held Sakura to his chest in a one-armed hug and placed a hand on Shika's shoulder, "Another sacrifice?" Lee nodded, "You sure are one brave kid. Tell ya what, screw Memo I'll take you guys around myself for the day." Hibuki said as he sent chakra into his foot and kicked a nearby boulder, "Besides, I'll get paid for the services if I do. Nothing makes a man's hearts swell like money does."

A Genjutsu creating the boulder fell to reveal a cave entering into the small hillside. "This'll take us to the entrance. I'll lead you through the market center and out to the camping grounds on the main island. Just remember this one rule, no one will bother you, if you don't bother them." Hibuki said as he led the trio through the cave.

Shika raised a brow and glanced at Sakura, 'Island?' he mouthed to her while she just smiled in return.

########################################

Jiraiya yawned as the three exited from Tsunade's office, "So do you guys wanna start tomorrow morning or afternoon?" he asked as he glanced back at Naruto and Sasuke.

Naruto raised a brow, "Tomorrow? Why can't we do it now?" he asked as he hovered to float in front of the duo's older sensei.

Jiraiya laughed, "Sure, how are we gonna connect the seals in only a few hours? The sun's gonna be gone in a few so what's the point?" he asked rhetorically.

Sasuke scoffed as he walked to stand next to his brother, he looked over his shoulder to say: "You get slow in your old age Ero-sensei?" he asked as he vaulted over the stair rail and fell the eight stories to the ground.

Naruto laughed as he back flipped and nose dived after his brother, catching his arm just before he landed.

Jiraiya sighed and shunshin'd to the front door of the Hokage tower, just as Naruto and Sasuke flew passed him and towards the village wall, laughing along the way.

Jiraiya sent chakra to his feet in a non-normal way, "Toad art: Amphibious Leap." He muttered before springing across the village in a single giant arc.

He landed in a crouch on the village wall and lifted his arm, catching Naruto's collar and halting the two in mid-air, "Alright already, I know you two have got something planned so what is it." he ordered as he stared into Naruto's enhanced seal eye.

Naruto blinked, "How did you get here so quick Ero-sensei?" he asked innocently.

Jiraiya sighed and placed the two on the wall next to him, "Just do whatever unbelievable thing it is you're gonna do so I can go finish my research, I wanna sleep early tonight." He muttered as he sat facing the gigantic trees outside the village.

Sasuke and Naruto shared a grin and Naruto leapt off the wall and flew towards the trees, "JUST WAIT And see sensei!" he yelled as he flew off into the distance, his voice vanishing slowly.

Sasuke sat next to his sensei, "This is gonna be cool." He muttered.

Jiraiya raised a brow, "You saying that something is cool? Damn this must be good then." Jiraiya said with a smirk as Naruto disappeared into the tree line.

Naruto flew with a smirk until he floated just under the top of the foliage, facing the main gate of the village. "Time to get this show on the road." He muttered as he held the snake seal and focussed a large amount of chakra.

"WOOD STYLE: WALL OF ENTWINED LIFE!"

Jiraiya's eyes widened as Naruto pushed his chakra along the line of gigantic trees, pulling branches and stretching trunks.

From Jiraiya's vantage point, the trees stretched out into a giant wooden wall, in moments the village of Konoha was surrounded by a new wall the size of the Hokage mountain and made of super powered nature.

Naruto floated back and sat on the wall, panting heavily, "That worked much better than I thought it would." Naruto said with a tired chuckle.

Jiraiya nodded with a wide grin, "Damn brat, you sure are amazing." He said.

Sasuke slid off of the wall and landed on the ground, "Guess it's time for my tags, be back in ten." He said as he activated his curse mark and ran towards the wall. Within moments he placed the first tag and then ran along the wall, placing another copy of the tag down every hundred or so metres.

Jiraiya looked over at Naruto, who was panting heavily "You alright kid? No matter how damn impressive that was, it would've been equally tiring." He asked.

Naruto nodded with a smile, "Yeah, I'm just happy I get to help Jiji defend this village," he smiled and sat slightly taller, "And today is Kakashi-Ouji 's last day retraining the Anbu, so we'll be able to go on missions as a team again!" he finished as he looked to his older sensei.

Jiraiya grinned widely, "Good to know! I have to tell you though, it might not be a full team again just yet." He added quietly.

Naruto blinked, "Huh?"

Jiraiya dropped the smile and sighed, "Well this has been great timing for a certain famous actress and her manager. You see, the manager requested Kakashi specifically for a mission. And he needs to head off ASAP. So..." Jiraiya trailed off.

Naruto frowned, "So Ouji is gone again?" he asked sadly.

Jiraiya shook his head, "No no no! He requested you and Sasuke along with a gennin of his choice, the problem is you guys are meeting the client tomorrow afternoon so your little cherry blossom won't be able to attend. That's what I meant by full team." Jiraiya explained.

Naruto maintained his frown, but nodded, "Yeah, I get it." he sighed, "Alright I guess. Do u know who the gennin is yet?"

Jiraiya shrugged, "Nope, but apparently Kakashi has noticed the kid to be a swordsman so Yugao-chan has taught him a little."

Naruto raised a brow, "Yugao?" he asked.

Jiraiya shook his head, "Never mind," he looked up to his left, "Here comes Sasuke again."

Naruto looked up and smiled as Sasuke placed the last seal and leapt back up to them, "All done sensei. Now we just have to activate them and the wall with be chakra absorbant and resistant to physical attacks. Also, if any chakra hits the wall then a pulse will go out to this seal." Sasuke said as he held up a red seal, "They need to be recharged every six hundred hours but that's the only fault in this system." Sasuke said with a smirk.

Jiraiya smirked, "Well you guys have almost thought of everything haven't you?" he said.

Naruto grinned and nodded while Sasuke picked up the 'almost', "What's missing Ero-sensei?" he asked with a frown.

Jiraiya chuckled and pointed to the main road leaving Konoha, "Your defence is a little too perfect."

Sasuke and Naruto facepalmed as they realised they had accidentally cut off the main entrance to the village as well as any other road based entrances, "Does this mean I have to de-activate the seals and get Naruto to morph the tree?" Sasuke muttered with a frown.

Jiraiya laughed at the duo's matching disgruntled faces and patted their backs, "I've got it boys, you two go report to the Hokage and I'll be there by the time you're done." Jiraiya said as he leapt down off the wall and ninja ran to the massive tree-wall.

#################################

Stepping into the light, the trio's eyes widened as they looked upon the scene before them.

The 'Market' was more like a miniature hidden village, there were stalls, shops and other miscellaneous buildings.

"This way guys." Hibuki said with a wave from underneath the large rusted sign: Market of the Lost Ninja.

Shikamaru led the way for his two 'gennin' charges. They followed Hibuki through the market center and ventured further north. Hibuki gave them a full tour of the main market district and only two storey building on the island which held someone important by the way Hibuki referred to it. Abruptly, the buildings stopped and many tents were set up in a large grid formation.

"….and this is where you'll be staying, it may not be a motel but at night time we got enough of a cover that it stays relatively warm no matter what as well as holding of the rain and such." Hibuki finished his tour with a grandiose wave of his arms.

Sakura looked at Hibuki, "What do we do for food?" she asked while rubbing her stomach as if she was starved.

Hibuki smiled softly, "All the stalls around here accept cash or anything else that seems valuable as payment, or you can do what some of the permanent residents here do." He said with a shrug.

Shikamaru raised a brow, "And what's that?"

Hibuki gestured to himself, "Us market keepers work for the market and are rewarded with our meals and some of the only actual hostels in the market place. I was originally only a D-rank missing nin so my village never sent hunters after me. But in my time here, I've grown powerful enough to be pretty strong. The only one that challenges my experience is Raiga-sama" He said with a chuckle as he spoke 'sama'.

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed as Sakura asked, "Raiga-sama?"

Hibuki nodded, "Yeah, a while ago Raiga of the Twin Thunder Fangs lost someone important to him. So now he stays here as a permanent resident, he's the head of the peacekeepers at the Market." Hibuki explained.

Shikamaru nodded in understanding, "So what you're saying is; Raiga, of the seven swordsmen of the mist, is head of security and law in this place? And you're stronger than him?" he asked while thinking, 'Shit! I don't think we can take on one of the seven swordsmen by ourselves. Especially not without being noticed!'

Hibuki nodded, "Essentially yeah, he mainly sleeps all day since he's the only person on night watch. That in itself is enough to intimidate people into not acting up." He shrugged, "I wouldn't say I'm stronger, just much more experienced. And in the ninja world that's what counts." He said as he caught an envelope that was thrown to him. He opened it and pulled out a wad of cash, "Well, experience and well earned pay." He said with a dark chuckle as he led the three to an empty space overlooking one of the surrounding rivers.

Shikamaru smiled and place his bag down, "Thank you for this Hibuki, would you mind telling where the main buying is done? We earned a lot of cash recently so I think it would be best to buy some things of value." He asked as Lee and Sakura sat down and began emptying the pack.

Hibuki chuckled, "We're a market place for a reason Shika! Every day around ten this place is filled with bidding wars and scrolls sales." Hibuki explained with a smile, "Is there anything in particular you were looking for? Cause I got the day off tomorrow so I can take you to the places most likely to have them." He said.

Shikamaru turned to his team, "What do you guys think? Is there anything in particular you wanted?" he asked as looked pointedly at Sakura.

She nodded, "I'm sure we can think of some things over the night, is that alright Hibuki?" she asked.

He nodded, "Sure thing, how bout I meet you guys here with some food in the morning huh?"

Shikamaru nodded, "That would be great, thanks for this Hibuki." Shikamaru said as he held out his hand.

Hibuki grasped Shika's hand in his own, "One thing I've learned from my time as a missing nin, We gotta band together since no one else will help." Hibuki said, "See you kids tomorrow." He finished as he turned and walked back towards the marketplace.

Shika turned to his teammates, "That went pretty damn well considering all that could've gone wrong. Right Sakiri-chan?" he asked with a smirk.

She nodded, "Yes it did, help us finish this so we can rest." She said with a gesture to the tent.

Shika nodded and helped the two finish setting up the large tent. It had more than enough room to fit eight people and tall enough for the three to fit in while standing easily.

Not five minutes later, the trio stood inside the tent and surrounded the foldable table Shikamaru had recently set up, Sakura placed one of her boyfriend's seals on the wall of the tent and a blue pulse of chakra covered the inside. "Part one success." Lee said as he pulled his bandages down from his face.

Sakura opened her cloak, freeing her arm. "Seems like it, no one can hear us or see in the tent now. We're safe." She said with a smile.

Lee spoke again, "Is it just me, or did Hibuki-san halfway between smoker and zombie?" he asked.

Sakura sighed, "Not now Lee."

Shika placed the mission scroll on the table along with the list of scrolls, "So, plan specifics captain?" he asked as he stepped back.

Sakura stood on one side of the table while Lee and Shikamaru stood opposite her, ready for her briefing, "Alright, we need to think of some other scrolls to write on the list so it's not obvious we're after scrolls from the land of fire. Any ideas?" she asked.

Lee raised his arm, "Umm, how bout we add some weapons and materials to the list as well? That way it will seem as though we're stocking up for a long trip. It would make our exit seem much less out of the blue." He suggested.

Sakura nodded, "Sounds like a good idea, you want to add those items to the list?" she asked as she passed a blank piece of paper to Lee.

He nodded and got to work writing as Shikamaru spoke up, "Summoning scrolls. Imagine the possibilities if we can get more summon animals in Konoha, even if they aren't upper level like the Toads, Snakes and Slugs."

Sakura nodded with a smile, "That's a great idea! Buy as many as you can, but what kind of excuse should we have for buying such a large amount of scrolls?" she thought out loud.

"How about I have a problem with shopping and I'm just following our sensei's order of 'learning all that we can' while we're here? And if that doesn't work I'll just say if no one wants them I can re-sell them back." Shikamaru explained as he unpacked his bed roll.

Sakura thought over it and nodded, "Seems legit." She agreed.

Lee place the sheet back on the table with Shika's original list, "That seems youthful enough doesn't it captain?" he asked with a sparkling smile.

Sakura nodded and grabbed a bottle of water, "I'm sick of this make-up." She muttered before pouring it over her face.

As she finished washing the disguise off of her face, Lee and Shikamaru laid out their bedrolls and got comfortable on them.

Lee asked, "So taicho, while Shikamaru is off buying scrolls with Hibuki-san, what will you and I be doing?" he asked.

Sakura wiped the last of the make-up off of her face, "We'll be comparing the maps we received to the actual layout of the market. If the first two are accurate enough, we can assume the third map-the one containing the layout of the storage area- is equally as correct." She explained as she dried her face with a tea-towel from her bag.

Lee grinned at the idea, "Sounds like a very Youthful plan Sakura-Taicho!" he exclaimed excitedly.

Sakura smirked at his enthusiasm, "Alright then, let's get some sleep so we'll be up early tomorrow. Shikamaru, you sleep next to the door so us two get a warning if anyone comes by." She ordered.

Shika opened one eye and didn't move, letting Sakura know what he was thinking. "Oh, you're already there… haha." She said tiredly.

He just closed his eye again, "Goodnight Taicho." Was the last thing he said before rolling to face the door.

Sakura lay down and quickly joined her two teammates in a nice sleep.

############################

"That was pretty smart of you Ero-sensei, but how did you get it done so quick?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya chuckled, "Well even the wall would absorb the chakra of any jutsu that tries to tunnel under the wall, it doesn't stop anyone from physically digging. I just had Gama-Dorilu make a six meter deep sloped tunnel going under the wall at each of the main three gates of the village." He explained as the three left the Hokage tower.

Sasuke nodded, "Simple but effective. But what stops other invaders from doing just that?"

Jiraiya raised a brow, "What stopped them from doing it before? A team of anbu doing constant watches over the wall." He asked rhetorically.

Naruto smiled with a nod, "Neechan left some food at home, wanna go eat it since it's after dinner time?" he asked as he floated higher into the air, ready to shoot off home.

Jiraiya smirked, "You two go do that, I have some research to do." He said as he whipped out his notebook.

Sasuke sighed and tossed one end of his chain up to Naruto, "Let's go Otouto." He said as he pulsed chakra into his Levitation seals.

Naruto flew home, pulling Sasuke along with him through the village at high speeds.

#################################

"You guys awake?"

Lee stuck his recently disguised head out of the tent door and did a 'shoosh' motion, "Oh, sorry Lee-san." Hibuki said as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

Lee stepped out of the tent and stretched, accidentally giving Hibuki a view of his twin swords. "You a Kenjustu user?" he asked.

Lee went to nod but then shook his hands in a 'so-so' motion, "So you've just started?" Hibuki guessed.

Lee nodded and gave a thumbs up as he pulled out his swords and held them up for Hibuki. Hibuki admired them for a moment, "These are well crafted," he looked at Lee, "So I'm guessing you picked up weaponry cause you lost your chakra?" he asked.

Lee nodded again, "In that case, I want Shika to pick up something special today for you. It will take longer for you to learn but I think it'll help your style a fair bit." Hibuki said with a creepy smile as he passed Lee's weapons back to him.

Lee blinked in shock before bowing deeply in thanks. "Hmhmhm! No need to thank me kid! Just promise me we'll meet in combat some day for a good spar yeah?"

Lee stood tall and nodded hard and fast in response.

It was at that moment Shika stepped out of the tent with a Full sack and an empty sack slung over each of his shoulders respectively, "Mornin Hibuki-san. Hope Lee wasn't giving you too much trouble?" Shikamaru asked.

Hibuki smirked, stretching his stitching in an eerie way, "Na he's a good kid. Have you guys had breakfast? Cause I got these." Hibuki said as he held up two paper bags.

Sakiri stuck her head out of the gap in the tent's door, "Food?" she asked.

Hibuki sat in front of the tent and opened each bag, "I got a Egg, bacon and sausage muffins for each of us and two hash browns for the three of you guys. That sound good?" he asked as he passed the muffins around first.

Shikamaru looked at the odd looking sandwich in his grasp, "Umm, sure I guess. Though I know I'm speaking for all of us when I say that we haven't eaten anything like this before." He said as he took a bite, mimicking Hibuki's way of eating.

Hibuki smiled around his mouthful of food, "Yeah, as a missing nin you'll get used to fast food."

Lee took his food back into the tent, "I'll eat with Lee-kun." Sakura said as the two slinked back into the tent.

Hibuki frowned, "How bad is that kid's damage? Cause his self esteem has obviously taken a hit along with it." he asked Shika.

Shikamaru sighed, "Half of his mouth was more or less melted. It hurts for him to eat anything too hot or anything sour. Emotionally, he's a lot wiser and more protective of Sakiri-chan." Shika explained with the team's story.

Hibuki nodded as he finished his muffin, "You kids sure went through a lot just to get away. What about Sakiri's arm? How does she manage in combat?" he asked.

Shikamaru smirked, "She's fast." Was all he said.

Hibuki raised a brow in question but was left unanswered as Shika finished his food. "Do we wanna get going?" Shikamaru asked.

Hibuki nodded and passed Shikamaru two of the six hash browns, "Sure thing, should I just leave these here for your friends?" he asked with a gesture to the bag.

Shika shrugged, "Sure I guess." He said as he yawned.

Hibuki smirked and placed the bag just inside the lip of the tent, "Well the sales should be starting in about ten minutes. Is there anything on your list that you want to look for first? Cause if not, I have a suggestions for something to buy your sword-wielding comrade." Hibuki said as the two walked away from the tent.

Shikamaru smirked, "Actually we came up with a pretty decent list, but let's find this thing that's gonna help Lee first if you want."

Hibuki nodded, "I don't mind, I get paid either way."

The two entered the marketplace and began walking towards the first sales area, exchanging conversation all the way.

#################################

Sasuke sat on the chair in the corner of the lounge room while Naruto lay on his back across the ground. "We don't have long before Kin-chan gets home, so did you wanna talk about whatever was bothering you earlier?" Sasuke asked as he cracked his neck either side.

Naruto rolled over and stared at Sasuke, "Actually, I wanted to talk in private so you can try to talk some sense into the others in my head." Naruto said with a frown.

Sasuke frowned in return, "Otouto, you know I'm not too great at venturing inside another person's mindscape yet. Not without breaking them at least." He added as an afterthought.

Naruto sighed, "Alright I guess. Well essentially my problem is that Hashirama-sama is convinced that I should absorb them all completely. He apparently was the creator of the technique or something since he knows so much shit about it." Naruto said with a frown.

Sasuke raised a brow, "Why don't you do it?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto's frown deepened, "Aniki, they're my family too." He said sadly.

Sasuke nodded, "Well Naruto, if you want I-"

"I'm home!"

Sasuke and Naruto looked up into the hallway to see Kin and Ayame walking in, "Hey boys, want some dinner?" Ayame said as she and Kin held up two bags each of ramen and dango.

Naruto jumped to his feet with a cheer and ran to the kitchen to get ready for his ramenfest while Sasuke inwardly sighed, 'Guess we'll work this out eventually.' Sasuke thought as he stood and gave Kin and Ayame respective kisses on the cheek and walked them into the kitchen so they could eat as a family.

############################

"Okay, this is the section of the market focussing on special scroll sales. Since that appears to be what you're interested in at the moment, I recommend this is where we start." Hibuki glanced over his shoulder at Shikamaru, "Though honestly I doubt you have enough cash on ya, that's the reason these scrolls don't go anywhere." He explained. "These scrolls are worth as much as a village, which is impossible for missing ninjas to raise." He smirked at a secret thought, "Well, most of them."

Shikamaru smirked and hefted the sack on his shoulder, "I think I got enough, we managed to steal the bounties on three A-rank ninjas and some other stuff on the way here."

Hibuki grinned, once again stretching the stitches on his cheeks "You'll be good for a fair few things then." He said as he knocked on the wall of a building.

A high panel on the wall flipped open and a young girl stuck her head out, "Hi Hibuki-san! You got a customer?" she asked with a grin.

He nodded and reached up, his arm seemed to stretch a bit under his sleeve so he could pat her on the head, "Sure do, you guys running the high scrolls today?"

She nodded in response, "Yeah we're doing it first thing, bout ten minutes?"

Hibuki glanced at Shikamaru who nodded, "Sounds good, we can wait in the big room." He said with a smile.

She nodded again, "Okay!" then she stepped back inside and her little part of the wall closed behind her. Two seconds later, part of the wall lifted revealing a pathway. "This way!" she said.

The two stepped in and Shikamaru smiled when he noticed the little girl's moving mechanism, it was a chair suspended by ropes. As she pulled lightly on one rope, the chair was pulled down the side of the hallway at a fast walking pace, "C'mon Hibuki!" she said with a giggle.

Hibuki and Shikamaru had to almost jog to keep up with her until the made it to the hallway's end. They stepped into a small hall that held a circular stage with six of the ten scrolls on Shikamaru's list plus more, 'Yes! Never thought we would get this lucky!' he thought with a smirk.

Hibuki showed Shikamaru to a booth, which is when he noticed the strange set-up of the place. There were eight darkened stalls which he assumed had people in them. "I'll leave you here, to place a bet, just pull this panel down. It pulls the cover off of your section's light showing the moderator that you're taking the next step. Got it?" Hibuki asked quietly.

Shikamaru nodded and stepped into his booth, Hibuki closed the curtain and his booth was silent. For the next few minutes, he could see the silhouette of people getting into their respective booths until the majority of them where full, 'This stuff must be worth a lot more than we thought. Good thing Sakura-Taicho brought much more than necessary anyways.' He thought as he noticed movement on the stage.

The little girl from earlier lowered from the ceiling on her rope chair, "Okay! I'm gonna point to you and you test your light okay? I haven't seen this many people here in a while. Okay!" she span and pointed to the person next to Shika, "Check!" a light flashed, "Check!" another flashed, "Check!" Shikamaru flashed his light, "Check!" another flash, "Check! And finally!" flash, "Check! Alright, let's get started!" she said as she pulled on another rope and picked up a scroll from the table.

"Now please, if you can't pay don't bet for it. We've had enough of that kind of business." She said with a smile, "First item: been in stock for eighty years cause no one got the cash! The Automated weapon scroll of Hashirama Senju! Let's start at 9,999,999,999,900 Ryo! Do I have any takers?" she said as if she expected nothing to happen.

*Flash*

She stared at Shikamaru's booth in shock, 'Holy crap!' she thought.

Shikamaru was frowning but he flashed his light again, 'That's over a third of what we got. But it IS the most important item on the list.' He thought.

The girl pulled a rope and her chair lowered to stop in front of Shikamaru's booth, "Do you have the cash? Flash the light once for yes, not at all for no." she said seriously.

Shikamaru slowly and purposefully flashed his light, he smirked as he heard a few gasps.

The little girl grinned widely, "YAHOO! I'm going on vacation!" she cheered as she placed the scroll into a slot and tapped his window, "Put the cash on your side and I'll spin the thingy." She said.

Shikamaru placed four scrolls in the large slot and knocked on his window, the opening span and Shikamaru smirked as he held the scroll in his hands. 'The scroll of the First. Holy Log this is intimidating.' He thought as he sealed it into a smaller scroll and placed it in his empty scroll sack.

Shikamaru looked up at the other items, 'Piece of cake.' He thought with a smirk.

#################################################

Sakura held one of Lee's hands in her own left arm while her right was still camoflauged to seem as though it was severed. The two walked through the bustling market as though they where tourists.

Sakura smiled up at Lee, "Is the map accurate?" she whispered.

Lee nodded in affirmation and pointed a spot on the map he held, then towards a large building to their right.

Her eyes narrowed, "The storage shed?" she asked.

He nodded again and the two continued to walk through the town, until Lee hesitated in one of his steps.

"What's wro-" Sakura began to ask before she had to physically hold Lee in place as he took a step forward in rage.

The two watched with wide eyes as a cartel of men and woman, tied together with chains, walked past them.

Sakura made eye contact with a girl only a year or so older than her, "Her eyes look…dead." She muttered in horror.

The group of slaves passed by and walked back where Sakura and Lee had come from, "Are those slaves?" Sakura asked.

Lee finally seemed to unclench his fists and nodded, causing Sakura to gasp as she saw the blood dropping from his hands, "Lee-kun!" she exclaimed.

He just shove his hands in the pockets of his cloak and flipped the hood up over his head and began following the group.

Sakura swore under her breath before following his example.

…..

A few minutes later, the two witnessed the group of slaves being taken into the same storage area they had walked passed earlier. Lee continued to glare while Sakura tilted her head in thought, 'We can use this somehow…I'm sure of it.'

She once again took Lee's hand, "C'mon, let's go get some lunch, and dinner for tonight. That way we can stay up and plan. Okay?" she asked as she squeezed his hand.

Lee just glared forward at the whipman, forcing the slaves into storage.

Sakura's grip hardened, "Lee! That's an order!" she whispered harshly.

Lee's stance softened and he nodded before letting himself be dragged along by Sakura back to the market's main square. 'I will save them.' Lee thought as a gleam of determination shone from his eyes.

########################################

Shika left the secret auction with Hibuki, a smirk on his face. 'Managed to get most of them, but it looks like we will end up having to break in as well.' He thought as the two walked back to camp.

Hibuki grinned at Shikamaru's expression, "So how'd the haul go?" he asked.

"Got a lot of the stuff on the list, but I guess ya win some ya lose some." He said with a shrug, mentally trying to find a way to get the things that weren't bought since he had no way of tracking the items that were bought.

Hibuki nodded, "That's good to hear! How long do you guys reckon you'll be stayin again? Cause I think I found some rooms spare in my hostel."

Shika's sharpened and he inwardly smirked, 'His hostel is close to the storage facility and it's a beeline to the entrance gate', "I think Sensei said he will take almost a month and it's been a week and a half since we last saw him."

Within the time of Hibuki's next breath, Shikamaru had come up with a contingency plan, "But he did say he might try to contact me. So I may have to leave for a day or so, I wonder if it'll be payment from the mission he's on. Or maybe some kind of new training." Shika said, pretending to be enthusiastic about training, 'If any of my friends saw this…' he thought with a hidden sigh.

Hibuki nodded with a frown, "That's great and all, but we can't just let people come and go as they please, otherwise one of the ninja villages might find out about the market." He said.

Shikamaru stopped walking and faced Hibuki, "Are you saying you won't let me or my team leave?" he asked, instantly on guard.

Hibuki's eyes widened, "No no no no! calm down Shika, I just meant I'll have to teach you some of the basic tracking prevention methods of this place." He said as he waved his hands.

Shika stood tall again, "Excuse me?"

Hibuki sighed and pulled Shikamaru to the side, "Look I'm not meant to tell visitors about our safety net, but tomorrow I got to do a scan on the northern current. If you come with I can show you the two exit paths in the nearby rivers." He whispered.

Shika inwardly smirked, "That would be great! Will you be on that site for the full day?"

Hibuki nodded, "Yep, on it every five days. And the front gate in the afternoons of every other day, which is how I met you brats." He said with a smirk.

Shikamaru smiled as the two of them stopped in front of the camping vicinity, "Speaking of which, I got ten minutes til my shift. Will you kids be good for now?" Hibuki asked with a smile.

Shika held his arm out, "Yeah, were should I meet up with you tomorrow?"

Hibuki thought hard for a moment, "Well, you remember that stall we got the steamed dumplings from?" Shika nodded, "I usually get a quick breakfast from that place before my guard shift, so meet me there around sunrise. I start at six thirty so we'll be easy on time." Hibuki said with a grin as he grasped Shikamaru's hand in a firm handshake.

Shika nodded, "Sounds like a plan, I'll see you tomorrow Hibuki-san. And thanks again, we'd be lost without you." He said with a grin.

Hibuki nodded and stepped away, "No prob, see ya later." He said before disappearing in a swirl of water.

Shika smirked and turned to his team's tent, 'I don't think this day could've done much better. Now how do we get those remaining items on the list…' he thought as he knocked on the tent post.

Sakura stuck her head out the zip, "Hey Shika, how'd it go?" she asked as she stepped out and gave him a hug.

Shika returned the hug to keep up their cover and said, "Almost perfectly Sakiri, and I got some good news."

Sakura stepped out of the hug and smiled, "Great to hear! Lee's waiting inside, so c'mon." she said with a gesture to the tent.

Shika nodded and stepped in behind her, he zipped the tent closed and re-activated the sound barrier. "What's the next step Taicho?" he asked as he sat down opposite Lee, who was chewing on their dinner.

She frowned, "Well Lee and I double checked the two area maps. They were 100% accurate so we can assume the storage one is as well. So that's a huge plus." She explained.

He noticed her frown, "So why the disgruntled look?"

Lee placed his empty bowl on the ground, "They have slave traders in this market." He said with a dark look in his eyes.

Shikamaru nodded and suddenly understood the intense atmosphere, "So…do you want my report?"

Sakura nodded, "Yes please, did you manage to find any of the items? And apparently you got a little something extra for Lee?" she remembered.

Shikamaru smirked while he placed one of the sacks on the table and pulled out the two scrolls inside, "This scroll is something for Lee, it teaches how to take the energy in one's blood and turns it to chakra manually. For most people this happens instinctually, but in your condition it might just push your chakra veins and coils into a normal size." He said as he held the purple scroll to Lee.

Lee's rage vanished as he stared at the scroll in shock, "I can get more chakra?" he asked.

Shika nodded, "You probably still won't be able to mould it into jutsu, but you'll be able to activate seals, learn chakra control exercises and it'll help increase your speed and strength." He explained as Lee took the scroll from his grasp.

Lee stared at the scroll, "With this I will become a MOST SPLENDID NINJA!" he yelled with the flames of youth burning in his eyes.

"SHUDDUP ABOUT THAT LEE!" Sakura yelled as she threw her pillow at him, knocking him to the floor.

Shika sighed and unravelled the next scroll, "And this, is half the scrolls on our list plus some extras." He said as he sent a burst of chakra into the whole scroll, unsealing everything he bought.

Sakura and Lee's eyes widened in awe as they laid eyes on two summoning scrolls, six jutsu/technique scrolls and the weapon scroll of the First Hokage. "Oh my Log." Sakura muttered as she stared at the collection in shock.

Shikamaru pulled out his list and began crossing off items and adding some to the list, "Okay, I purchased Hashirama-sama's scroll, his wives summoning scroll, two scrolls that were originally owned by my clan, an ultimate elemental techniques scroll, and the forbidden scroll of the Hidden Waterfall Village. The extras are a Combat scroll of Madara Uchiha, summoning scroll of the lightning eagles, and the last is some kinda map supposedly owned by the Sage of Six Paths." He explained.

Sakura nodded, "Woah." Was all she replied.

Shikamaru glanced at Lee who was just as awestruck as Sakura, but he continued to eat his second bowl of food and passed Shika his own. "Thanks Lee."

Lee just nodded and opened his scroll, intending on learning to make his own chakra.

Shika began eating while opening up one of his clan's scrolls, 'True Shadow Clone jutsu…' he read.

…

"So you guys understand the plan?"

"Hai Taicho," Lee and Shikamaru said in unison.

Sakura flipped her hood up, "Alright then, let's get started."

Shika stepped out into the morning haze and smiled at the other two, "I'm seeing Hibuki-san again. He's gonna give me another tour today. I'll see you two later okay?" he said with a wink.

Sakura nodded, "What about sensei? When is he coming?" she asked.

Shikamaru nodded and stood tall, "Is should be any day now. Honestly I wouldn't be surprised if he contacts us today. Do you each have the meteor paper?" he asked.

Sakura nodded, "Yes Shikaaa." She drawled with a cute smile.

A passing ninja smirked at the act while wondering what meteor paper is.

Shikamaru winked as the two now had the team's story heard. Shika turned and waved behind him as he walked towards the meeting spot.

Sakura leaned back into the tent and dropped her transformation, revealing herself to appear normal again, "Ready Lee?" she asked.

Lee cloaked himself under the disguise, "Yes Taicho." He said as he finished wrapping the bandages of his disguise around his lower face.

Sakura chucked her cloak on and tucked a seal containing her weapons into her underwear, she lacked the disguise but she covered enough of herself in the cloak that there was an extremely unlikely chance of anyone noticing. "Let's get going then." She said as the two of them stepped out.

##################################################

Chapter End.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Scroll market pt 2, betrayal of the First Hokage.

**_Mindscape._**

Naruto stood in front of the couch, facing his three most trusted souls, Hashirama, Mizuki and Zabuza. "I don't want to Hashirama!" he shouted with tears in his eyes.

Hashirama sat back relaxed, "It is the only way Naruto. You need to get over this supposed connection to us." he said seriously.

Mizuki and Zabuza were both frowning, "Brat," Zabuza said, "He is…right."

Naruto stared in shock, "NO! He's NOT right!" Naruto screamed.

Mizuki waved for Naruto to calm down, "Naruto, if we stay here we might cause damage to not only you but the seal as well! Please listen to reason!" he said.

Naruto shook his head with tears pouring from his eyes, "But, you've all helped me so much, Your my family too!" he said as he fell to his knees.

Zabuza placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and kneeled in front of him, "Look at me." He ordered.

Naruto looked up from the floor, tears pouring from his eyes as Zabuza's gaze burned into his own. "Don't you remember your promise to the Third Hokage?"

The simple question made Naruto pause in his tears, "Jiji's promise."

Mizuki stood behind Zabuza, "The Hokage needs to protect the village, that is first and foremost and that is what you promised to help him do. But what will happen if you have too many souls compressed into the consciousness of the one person who has to suppress the soul of a demon?" he asked.

Naruto looked up at Mizuki before looking again at his feet sadly.

Hashirama sat, still relaxed "His mind and seal ruptures and the Kyuubi is set free, right in the centre of the village. Everyone will panic and attack, the village will be destroyed." He said.

Naruto burst into tears and fell to his knees, "But you can't leave! I won't absorb you!" he said before fading from his mind back into consciousness.

Zabuza's hand fell from Naruto's shoulder as it faded and he turned to glare at Hashirama, "You're a fucking bastard!" he yelled as he threw a punch.

Hashirama caught the punch easily and blocked Zabuza's next kick before turning past his third attack and tripping Zabuza over the couch. "Foolish. I am just protecting the village, even if I have to force Naruto's hand I will not let the village suffer," Hashirama's eye gleamed as he came to a decision, "And at the same time I can make him stronger and smarter."

Mizuki raised a brow, not bothering to attack Hashirama since he knew there was no way to stop whatever he had decided, "What do you mean Hokage-sama?" he asked.

Hashirama faced Mizuki, "Go say good bye to your daughter." He ordered.

Mizuki's eyes widened, "What are you going to do?" he asked as he took a step back in fear.

Hashirama's gaze hardened, "Go now." He ordered.

Mizuki turned and ran back into the house to say goodbye to his daughter and Akamaru.

"What the hell are you planning Hashirama!" Zabuza yelled as he kicked the couch out of the way and stormed up towards the Hokage.

Hashirama raised a brow, "Is that rage? I thought you were incapable of negative emotions at the moment." He pondered.

Zabuza took a moment to think before smirking, "If I had to guess, this is righteous fury! I won't let you take away Naruto's family!" Zabuza yelled before letting his demonic essence envelope him.

Zabuza sprinted at Hashirama and pulled back a fist. Which Hashirama caught and calmly placed his hand on Zabuza's forehead, "Ninja art: Soul Drain." He muttered.

Zabuza's eyes widened as he disappeared into Hashirama's palm, screaming his last breath "NARUTO!"

Hashirama looked down at his hand and sighed, 'It's for the best.' He thought.

**"You're a monster."**

Hashirama turned to face the Kyuubi, who had until previously been hiding in its cage. "This is for Naruto's own good Kurama. And for the good of the village, his rage will spur him on to completing the technique and absorbing me. Thus we all will become a part of him in a single move."

Kyuubi growled, **"You know as well as I do he has a long time before a large amount of souls will affect him! You damn rat!" **

Hashirama formed a hand sign and wood sprung from the cage and tied the Kyuubi up. "Don't act with me! You wanted the boy's mind to break so that you will have freedom again!" Hashirama yelled.

Kyuubi ripped its way free of its binds, shocking the First **"I WOULD NEVER SACRIFICE NARUTO'S LIFE FOR MY OWN FREEDOM!" **It roared as it slammed it's maw against the cage bars.

Hashirama turned away from the Kyuubi and made his way down the rooftop stairs, back into the house and towards the small family inside, "It's too late. This is for the best." He said as he closed the rooftop door behind him.

##################################

"Seriously, you're a good brat Shika, thanks." Hibuki said with another eerie grin, stretching his stiches so much that Shikamaru could even see his teeth through them.

Shikamaru sighed, "Stop thanking me already, so what you got a payrise. It's all good." He said.

Hibuki's grin didn't drop, "Don't care, since youpaid so much for those highly sought after scrolls it's you I thank for the extra cash." Hibuki said.

Shika sighed again, "I know, you've told me a million times already."

Hibuki was about to continue his conversation when he spotted a glowing seal in Shikamaru's pocket. His eyes narrowed instantly, "What's that light Shika?" Hibuki asked as the two came to an end of Hibuki's guard cycle at around midday.

Shikamaru looked at the 'meteor paper' that Sakura gave him and he smirked lightly, 'Time to enact the plan.' He thought before looking at Hibuki in shock.

"It's a signal from my sensei! He's nearby!" Shika said, faking excitement.

Hibuki nodded in suddenly understanding, "Ah great. So why is that thing flashing red?" he asked.

Shikamaru looked at the paper in fear, "He's been injured! Oh no!" he turned to Hibuki, "Where was the closer exit on this path again?"

Hibuki looked at Shika in real concern, "Do you really think you should go like this? Or by yourself?" he asked.

Shika nodded, "I can't put my teammates in danger, where's the exit!" he demanded.

Hibuki and Shikamaru ran back about eighty meters and Hibuki pointed to a thin stream, "Lay there, it is deceptively deep and within thirty seconds the high speed current will have you two minutes away from the front gate. But don't try to water walk or you'll be pushed off." He said.

Shika nodded and was about to do so before Hibuki grabbed his shoulder, "I'll be at the front gate until the morning. If you're not there by then I will be telling your teammates, so hurry and be safe alright." Hibuki ordered.

Shika nodded, "Thankyou Hibuki, I owe you big time." He said as he leapt onto the stream and shot downriver with the current.

Hibuki sighed, 'Geez, this is gonna be a pain. After all these years of being alone why is it I feel connected to that kid?' He thought before he turned back to finish his cycle, "'Don't get too attached' they said. 'You'll only worry' they said." Hibuki sighed and looked back after Shika worried, "And damn it my instincts were right." He muttered as he disappeared back towards the market.

######################################

Shikamaru came out of the small high powered stream into the river, he stood and ran across it into the cover of the trees. "Part one complete. You ready Taicho?" he asked.

Sakura stepped out from behind a tree, looking very much like a common slave in her new disguise, "Yes I am, but we have to wait for the next signal from Lee." She said as she held her own piece of glowing paper.

Shika nodded, "How is he going to activate the hidden seal? He still can't use chakra yet."

Sakura smirked, "They're blood seals, not chakra seals."

Shika nodded in understanding, "So how long will this take?"

Sakura sat down on a nearby rock, "Should be about two hours at maximum."

Shika sighed and sat down next to her, "I don't like this. You'll be virtually unarmed in there. They'll frisk you for weapons before letting you into the storage facility."

Sakura nodded, "That's why Lee is doing his part."

############################

Lee leaned against the stall drinking through a straw fed through the bandages on his face.

He glanced at the sliver of paper held against his cup and noticed it glow red briefly, 'Stage one.' he thought with a smirk.

Lee pushed off of the stall and walked into a nearby alley, the moment he was out of view he took off his cloak and flipped it inside out.

It now was a light brown and seemed to absorb a lot of the light that hit it, he pulled strings on certain places on the cloak and it became tight around his upper body and flowing out behind him. He pulled the hood over his face and unwrapped the bandages. He used the wrappings to dress his feet so that they would make little noise.

Lee stood tall in his self titled 'Stealth Mode' and slipped his short blades into the sleeves of his outfit. "Time to plant taicho's weapons." He whispered before disappearing in a burst of speed.

####################################

_Later that day._

Hibuki was about to end his shift at the front gate, 'Okay, I'll just wait in one of the nearby trees then, I can make my journey later. He can't be much longer anyways.' He thought as he paced back and forth.

"Hibuki-san!"

Hibuki looked up and saw a 'wounded' Shikamaru with an unconscious girl over his shoulder. Hibuki ran over to him as Shika fell to his knees.

"Shika! What happened out there? Whose this?" Hibuki asked quickly as he glanced at the girl's pink hair.

He smiled up at Hibuki and squinted a small smile, "Sensei completed his mission, this is the person he had to make disappear. He decided instead of killing her, he could make some money by selling her into slavery." Shika explained as he trudged alongside Hibuki back to the market place.

Hibuki nodded grimly, "I personally don't like seeing people put into slavery, but she's your bounty so I have no right questioning what you do with her." He then smirked to lighten the situation, "Besides, money IS money no matter how it's obtained."

Shika shrugged, "Slaves were common around my area growing up, it doesn't bother me that much anymore." He said nonchalantly.

Hibuki nodded and helped Shika to his feet, "Where is your sensei then?" he asked.

Shika grinned at Hibuki, "He's gone to collect the pay, said he'll be here first thing in the morning!" he answered excitedly as Hibuki helped him transport the unconscious girl through the tunnel back to the main island.

####################################

Lee sat in his 'Stealth Mode', using the dull colours to blend into the wall and garbage easily. People passed within a meter of him and didn't even realise he was there.

Lee glanced down at the paper in his hand as it pulsed blue, 'Almost time for part three.' He thought as tucked the paper into his clothes and began looking through the crowd for his teammates.

Not five minutes later, Lee's eyes focussed on Shikamaru. As he carried the disguised Sakura over his shoulder, he was being led by Hibuki and a slave trader to the storage hold.

Lee watched as the four were approached by another man and after a few minutes of the four males talking, Sakura was handed to the slave trader and a briefcase was handed to Shikamaru. 'Confirmed.' Lee thought.

Shikamaru shook the trader's hand and he and Hibuki walked towards the tent grounds, 'It's time.' Lee thought as his sight turned left towards the setting sun, and the storage building that Sakura was just thrown into.

#################################

"You really didn't have to wait for me you know." Shikamaru said with a smile to Hibuki.

Hibuki chuckled, "Hey it's fine! I was a little worried about you and I was on guard shift. Don't worry about it." he said with a stitched grin.

Shika was about to reply as the two arrived at his team's tent, but Hibuki spotted the note left by Sakura. "What's this?"

Shika grabbed the note from the post of the tent, "A letter from Sakiri-chan, Lee had a breakdown again and is on a drinking binge." He sighed and brushed a hand through his hair, "I gotta go make sure they're alright." He said as he pocketed the paper.

Hibuki nodded, feeling the dismissal coming, "Seems like something personal, I won't intrude. Go look after your friend. I go to get ready anyways." He said as he turned from Shikamaru.

Shika raised a brow, "Ready for what?" he asked.

Hibuki sighed, "I didn't wanna drop this on ya, but I guess you would've found out anyway." He said as he turned to Shikamaru, "I've been requested for an errand by my boss. I have to go all the way to the Hidden Rain and offer the services of the missing nins to some group called Akatsuki or something," he shrugged, "I can't help it, it's what my boss wants." He said.

Shikamaru frowned, 'I'm gonna miss this guy, he was really nice to all of us.' "When are you leaving?" he asked.

Hibuki frowned and pulled a pocket watch from his pocket, "In Forty minutes." He glanced at Shikamaru who stood in wide eyed silence.

Hibuki sighed, "Look kid, I'm gonna break some rules here." He said as he glanced around to assure no one was listening.

Shika nodded, still disappointed in the fact that he would probably never see his 'friend' again, "Sure. What's up?" he asked.

'Hibuki' leaned forward, "I was assigned the name Hibuki when I arrived here. I only stay now because of what my boss pays me. This mission might just be a link to the career boost I need." He said.

Shika blinked, "So your name isn't even Hibuki?" he asked in shock.

'Hibuki' nodded, "Nope, and another thing. I'm much older than you think I am." He said as he pulled something out of his pocket and began wrapping it on his lower face.

Shikamaru watched in confusion, "So what should I call you? So what if you're older than like, forty?" he asked.

The ninja raised his head and re-adjusted his crossed out waterfall headband and facemask, "My name is Kakuzu, Ex-Jonin of the Hidden Waterfall village. And I will be celebrating by One Hundred and sixth birthday in a week." Kakuzu said as he stood tall and cracked his back.

Shikamaru nodded in confusion and appreciation, "Thanks for telling me Kakuzu, but I find it hard to believe you'd still be alive after this long." Shikamaru said with a disbelieving smirk.

Kakuzu nodded with a shrug, "Believe what you want, aren't you gonna tell me which village you're really from?"

Shikamaru took a step back in shock, "Wha-what?"

Kakuzu sighed, "It's obvious to me you're not really a missing nin. No one else would pick up on it for a long while but they will eventually. That's where you got all the cash right? I'm guessing you're from Konoha." he said as he folded his arms.

Shika whipped out a Kunai and stood defensively, "So you're gonna kill me?" he asked as he steeled his nerves.

Kakuzu shrugged, "I have no reason too, I just want to know what your big plan is." He explained.

Shikamaru's gaze hardened, "As if I'd tell you that!" he yelled as he launched forward.

Many ninjas appeared in the vicinity moments after the yell, but all they saw was an empty space in front of the tent.

Inside the sound sealed tent, Kakuzu held Shikamaru in an arm lock, "Listen to me brat! Don't you think I would've done something earlier if I really gave a damn?!" he yelled.

Shika stopped struggling and considered his options, 'I guess he's right.'

Kakuzu let go of Shikamaru and took a step back, noticing the inside of the tent was completely packed up, "You guys leaving soon then?"

Shikamaru sighed and realised he had no choice but to trust Kakuzu if he wanted to get back to his teammates, "Fine, my real name is Shikamaru Naara." He said as he turned to face Kakuzu.

Kakuzu nodded, "So, Konoha did send you. That makes sense considering you wanted mainly Konoha scrolls." He said to himself, "So what's your plan?"

Shikamaru glared at Kakuzu, "We are going to take as many scrolls from the storage room as we can tonight. Then we are going to flee home." He explained.

Kakazu scoffed, "Nice plan," he then shrugged, "Since you're stealing from the storage warehouse, I don't care. I've already been paid for my services concerning the stuff in there, it's Raiga's problem." He said as he turned away from Shikamaru.

Shika stood, "So that's it? You're just gonna let us go ahead with the plan?" he asked disbelievingly.

Kakuzu nodded and lifted the flap of his tent, "Yes, I am." He glanced over his shoulder at Shikamaru, "Good luck against Raiga, and remember, just because he's a swordsman doesn't mean close combat is his strong point." Kakuzu said as he stepped out of the tent.

Shikamaru hesitated a moment before running out of his tent to find that Kakuzu was long gone.

Shika looked at his feet in thought, 'He knew the whole time…I will repay this debt one day Kakuzu-san. Thank you.' He thought.

He looked up and realised it was already night time, 'I've got to hurry!' he thought as he placed a timed explosive tag in the team's tent and ran to the location given to him by Sakura.

####################################

"This will be your home for the week, though with your cute ass someone will probably buy you right off the bat." The slave trader said to Sakura as he threw her into the cage with the other slaves.

Sakura landed and screamed in pain, "You can't do this to me!"

The slave trader laughed as he closed the door to the building behind him, "I just did! HAhahaha!"

*SLAM*

Straight away Sakura began scanning her surroundings, 'Exactly like the map, this is the room with living things. The next will be the larger room with all the weapons and scrolls, then finally the room with all the slave money and trade items.' She thought as she looked out the window, noticing it was now night time. 'The guards will swap soon so that only Raiga is left. We just have to work between the times when he does the perimeter watch outside, and then we'll be on our way home.' She thought as she shuffled back into the corner of her cell.

She shuffled to her feet and using her chakra, walked climbed up to the window.

"That girl's a ninja!"

She looked below her to see some of the slaves looking up at her with wide eyes and mouths, "SSHHH! Everyone quiet!" she loudly whispered.

Everyone stopped their movement but continued staring at her. "I will get you out of here, just be quiet for now." She said.

A lot of them nodded with hope beginning to show in their eyes.

Sakura finished her climb and smiled as she saw a small pouch sitting on the sill, "Good work Lee." She muttered to herself.

She turned and walked backwards up the wall until she held the pouch in her chained hands. She dropped to the ground and opened it before placing it on the floor softly.

Suddenly, the door slammed open with a loud metallic bang, causing a lot of the slaves to look over.

A group from the cell Sakura was in sat in front of her and looked dazed, while another crouched and over the two spilt rings, hiding what she was doing.

Two thundering steps later, Raiga of the Thunder Fangs stood in front of the cage. "You will be quiet. You will not cause trouble. If these hold true, I won't kill you." He said as he gazed over them all with tired and depressed eyes.

His dead gaze passed right over Sakura, showing no recognition of her chakra. 'Good, whatever has him so depressed has also lowered his guard.' She thought as she sat perfectly still.

After a few more seconds of watching the large cage of slaves, he turned and walked out the second door that led outside. He closed it behind him with a second slam.

Sakura listened to his thundering steps as he walked away from the door until she could hear him no more. 'He didn't close the first door.' She realised.

Immediately after, she stood again and looked over the rings, "Can someone help me put on those two?" she asked as she tapped two ringlets with her feet.

The slave that had crouched over the rings picked up a ring in his teeth, she turned her back to him and he placed the bracelet sized one around her wrist. At that time a woman who had picked up the smaller ring a moment later, the ring was on Sakura's middle finger.

"Step back." Sakura ordered.

All the slaves took a step away from Sakura and stared in awe as the glove of her gauntlet appeared in a rainbow glow.

Using her claw, Sakura ripped through her chain binds easily and soon she had reequipped herself with all of her bracelets, anklets and body rings.

She stood and everyone watched in awe as she activated and deactivated each of her upgrades, confirming they were all in perfect order. "Alright, now I'm sorry to ask you of this but I can't let you out now." She said sadly.

To her surprise, all the slaves that answered her just nodded, "Go do what you must first, but please let us out when you are finished." said the man that helped her with her bracelet.

Sakura nodded, "I promise, a friend of mine will be here soon to help you all."

"What's your name?"

Sakura looked into the opposite cage to see a little boy, she casually used the head-hunter jutsu to sink into the ground and appear on the other side of the bars, "Sakura Haruno, Kunoichi of Konoha." she said to him before disappearing in a red and pink blur, out the open doorway and into the scrolls and weapons hold.

#########################################

Lee climbed up the watch tower slowly, using only his upper body to hold the tiny nails on the post, 'You think these people would've heard of a ladder but noooo, they just use their chakra to walk up this thing. Unyouthful meanies.' Lee thought with a frown as he lifted himself to the final hold.

He peered over and saw that he was right between the two watchmen, who were looking off to his left and right. 'A Youthless challenge!' he thought as he quietly moved to be underneath one of the corner posts.

Lee held himself up with one arm and used his teeth to loosen the wrappings on his left arm. Within moments, he had re-adjusted his concealed kunai into a wrist guard and thrusting weapon.

Reaching into his pouch, Lee pulled out a simple stone and tossed it up to land in between the two ninjas.

*Clink*

The two ninjas turned and put up there guard, scanning the platform. One ninja looked down and noticed the stone.

"What the…did you kick that?"

The first ninja looked down again to examine the rock.

"Hck!"

The ninja analysing the stone looked up to see his co-worker being strangled, and a kunai flying towards his face.

*Shlink*

Lee broke the neck of his captive and rolled into the watch tower, placing the body down next to the bleeding out ninja. 'One tower down,' he looked around the area of the storage building, 'One to go.'

########################################

Shikamaru stood in the shadows, staring across the road to the bolt locked entrance of the storage building which sat under it's own street light.

He glanced around and noted that there was only a few more people in the area, 'Can't risk anyone feeling my chakra or seeing me go in.'

His eyes widened as the door opened from the inside and the intimidating form of Raiga stepped out and began walking around the perimeter of the building. 'This is my chance!' Shikamaru thought as soon as Raiga turned the corner.

Shikamaru formed the hand seals for a new jutsu he learned from one of his family's scrolls, "Ninja Art: Shadow Warp Jutsu!" he proclaimed.

Shikamaru took a step forward and fell into his shadow, now being a two dimensional being, he moved across the ground and under the bolted door.

Shikamaru hopped out of his technique inside the building, 'I have approximately twenty minutes before Raiga does a lap of the full vicinity. We have to be gone by then.' He thought as he whipped out a storage scroll. 'Time to get stealing.' He thought as he looked around and noticed he was in the money and trade storage room.

He rolled the scroll across the desk in the center of the room and quickly ran around grabbing all the valuable trade items and began sealing them into the scroll, nearly five minutes later minutes later, he was done.

He rolled up the first scroll and placed it in his hidden star Chunnin jacket before pulling out another one, 'Now for the cash, only fifteen minutes left.'

###########################################

*CRACK*

Lee let go of his captive's head and let the body drop down to land next to his now dead partner's.

Lee sighed as he looked at the bodies, 'It is most unyouthful to take out these opponents without a straight forward battle.' He then looked off the edge of the tower and watched as Raiga continued circling the outside, 'I will have to wait until he is inside before I make my next move.'

Lee took off his cloak and while continuing to watch Raiga's movements, began getting changed into his normal oufit, the green body suit, orange leg warmers and his Chunnin flak jacket.

###########################################

"Found it!"

Sakura smiled as she found the last item on the list and sealed it into the scroll she carried. 'Okay, so we got everything needed, now is there anything else more valuable before we escape with this stuff?' she thought.

She stood in quiet room and began searching for anything of importance before her eyes stopped on a large shelf, 'Summoning scrolls, looks like we can use Shikamaru's contingency plan.

_Flashback_

_"I do not understand Shikamaru-kun! Why would we need more summoning scrolls then what we have now?!" Lee asked as the three sat in their tent._

_Shikamaru sighed, "Look Lee, what is it that makes the Leaf village stronger than other villages?" he asked._

_Lee's eyes burned with fire, "The Will of Fire!" he announced._

_"And?" Shikamaru asked._

_Lee blinked, "Umm, YOUTH!"_

_Sakura sighed, "I think what Shikamaru means is the fact that leaf ninjas work as a team to form bonds and increase strength. Right?"_

_Shikamaru nodded, "Yeah, and by having a larger majority of ninjas in our village be able to summon animal partners. We increase our strength that much more." He explained._

_Lee nodded, "WHAT A YOUTHFUL SENTIMENT! WE SHOULD ALL –MMMPH!"_

_Sakura smirked as Lee began rolling around on the ground, trying to pry the tape from his face, "As you were saying Shikamaru?"_

_Shikamaru nodded, "Also Taicho, if you find one that matches your style, it would be perfect for our escape. Especially since at full speed, Lee needs to open the first two gates to match you. I have no chance of keeping up."_

_Sakura nodded, "So just incase, you want me to search for my animal partner and summon them if we get into a mess?" she clarified._

_Shika nodded again, "Just incase." He agreed._

She quickly went to each scroll and read their title before sealing them away, 'Nothing that really matches me yet.' She thought as she approached halfway.

"Taicho."

Sakura turned with wide eyes to see Shikamaru pop up from his shadow, "Sorry to startle you, we got ten minutes at best." He said.

Sakura smiled, "Did you set the tag?" she asked.

Shikamaru nodded as he remembered the tag he set for Sakura in the team's tent, "Yeah, why?"

Sakura smiled and closed her eyes, "You may have thought that was a basic timed explosive seal, but it was actually one of Sasuke-kun's new fusion seals: Explosive seal-Thought bomb."

Shikamaru raised a brow, "So, what does it do?"

Sakura opened her eyes and got back to work, "Tell me if your 'meteor paper' begins glowing." She said as she began sealing the rest of the summoning scrolls.

Shikamaru sighed, 'Cryptic women are so damn troublesome.' He thought as he took out his meteor paper and checked it. It wasn't lit up.

Shikamaru glanced around the area and his eyes narrowed as he saw a familiar red swirl, 'That's the symbol us leaf nin wear in honour of whirlpool country.' He thought.

He ran over the seal before realising there were six of the same types of scrolls on the one shelf, he glanced at the name on the first scroll, "Uzumaki?" he muttered.

Whipped out another sealing scroll, he sealed the whole shelf into it. 'These may just be important.' He thought.

The second he placed scroll into his vest, his piece of meteor paper began to glow, "Taicho, it's glowing!" he exclaimed.

Sakura closed her eyes again and smirked and thought the key word that would trigger this bomb, 'Pheonix'

*****BOOOOOM*****

Shikamaru's eyes widened as he could see the flames of the explosion reach even the wall of this building, "That would've killed hundreds!" he gasped.

Sakura nodded with a dark grin, 'I am a clean up ninja after all. I can't just let this trash live idly.' She thought as she turned back to the summoning scrolls.

She reached to grab the last one and paused as she read the name of the summoning animals, "Phoenixes?" she asked as she slowly smiled.

Shikamaru stared in shock, "Why did you do that?!" he yelled as he turned to Sakura.

Sakura placed the summoning scroll on the ground, "It was part of the mission. If possible, take out as many missing nin as I can. Over the past few days you spent with Hibuki, Lee and I were stealing proof of those ninjas who slept in the tents near ours. That way we get the bounties when we leave this hellhole aswell." She explained calmly as she read the instructions.

Shikamaru stared at her, 'She killed all those defenceless people…' he thought in horror.

"Shikamaru!"

He snapped out of his horror at his captain's shout, "I need you to go release the prisoners now! The explosion will make Raiga think that it caused enough damage to somehow let them free. This will give us a little more time til Lee gets here." She ordered.

Shikamaru nodded, "Hai Taicho." He muttered before Shadow Warping towards the other room.

Sakura used the claw on her right hand to cut open her left hand, using her blood, she signed the contract and placed a print of her fingers on the page beneath it.

Sakura grinned as she lifted the scroll and tied it to her back so that it ran along her spine, "Sakura the Phoenix Summoner. Got a nice ring to it." she said with a smirk.

She turned to go back to the weapons section to see if there was anything else she could steal, when she had to duck to avoid the swipe of a sword.

Sakura chakra dashed away from the attacker, and when the two were at a distance she faced him to see that the sword wielder was in fact Raiga.

Sakura cursed as she quickly activated her boots and claws, making Raiga raise a brow. "Why are you in here?" he asked.

She smirked, "I was one of the slaves that was brought in today. Now I'm going to kill you." She said as she charged forward with full speed.

Raiga was unable to follow her speed, but unknown to her, he didn't need to. "Lightening Shield!" he proclaimed with a swing of his short swords.

An arc of lightening travelled around Raiga's body and was instantly drawn to Sakura, "AAAAHHH!" she yelled as she was hit.

###################################

"Just go already!" Shikamaru said as he ushered the slaves out of the building and in the opposite direction of the explosion.

"AAAAHHH!"

He turned as he heard Sakura's scream of pain, "Damn troublesome." He muttered as he dropped into his shadow and moved back into the building within seconds.

###################################

Lee watched the building with his binoculars and upon seeing the flashes of lightening inside, his eyes burned with fire, "I will not let my comrades fight alone!" he declared before leaping out of the watch tower.

###################################

Sakura dove to the side and narrowly avoided another bolt of lightning, "Dammit! Since when are swordsmen distance fighters!" she said in frustration as she narrowly avoided another attack.

"LIGHTENING BALL!" Raiga yelled as he crossed his blades above his head.

Sakura went to move when her nerves were shocked from a previous attack, "Dammit!" she yelled as she fell to her knees.

She looked up as the ball of lightening flew towards her.

"NINJA ART: SHADOW REPULSE JUTSU!"

Shikamaru appeared in front of Sakura from his shadow and pulled the shadows of the surrounding objects towards his, creating a shield that took the hit of the attack and pushed it back at Raiga, though at a significantly slower pace.

Raiga had no noticeable outward reaction other than to swing his swords parallel horizontally and dispel the attack. "A shadow user? So you're either of that Naara clan, or of the Botchatsu." He said with his eyes still appearing dead.

Shikamaru raised a brow as he panted at the chakra exertion, 'Botchatsu?' he thought in confusion.

Sakura used the pause in the battle to analyse her surroundings, she noticed a spear leaning against the wall behind Raiga, 'That may work.' She thought as she readied her gauntlet's upgrade.

"Shika, duck!" she whispered.

She pulled her arm back as Shikamaru dropped into a push-up, "WHIP FIST!" she proclaimed as she threw her fist forward, taking a swing at Raiga's head.

Dispite his shock at seeing a small girl's arm expand over a twenty meter distance, Raiga managed to duck under the attack and bring his swords around to cut her arm off.

"SHADOW POSSESSION JUTSU!"

Using the shadow of Sakura's arm, Shikamaru needed almost no chakra to connect his shadow to Raiga's. 'I just gotta hold him for a second!' Shika thought as he struggled to hold Raiga's overpowering chakra with his own.

Sakura's extended gauntlet grabbed the spear that sat against the wall and she began to retract her arm, bringing the sharp end of the weapon directly at Raiga's back.

Raiga was unable to fully break Shikamaru'a hold in time, but he managed to swing his swords behind him to attempt to deflect the flying spear.

"Gah!"

Sakura smirked at Raiga's gasp of pain as the spear lodged itself inside his left shoulder socket, making the arm unusable as he dropped one of his blades.

Shikamaru's shadow retracted as did Sakura's arm and he was panting, "I don't have much chakra left Taicho, we can't under estimate him just yet. He's one of the seven swordsmen for a reason." Shika said.

Sakura nodded and de-activated her arm upgrades, "I'm going to rely on my speed to get near him. How much longer do you estimate for the distraction to be taken care of?" she asked.

Shika glanced out the window and noticed the glow of the fire was severely diminished, "Five minutes at best." He said.

Sakura nodded, "I'll try to finish this, but I don't have many long range abilities." She said with a frown as Raiga got control of himself again and gripped his remaining thunder fang in his working arm.

Shika's eyes widened.

_Flashback_

_Shika stood, "So that's it? You're just gonna let us go ahead with the plan?" he asked disbelievingly._

_Kakuzu nodded and lifted the flap of his tent, "Yes, I am." He glanced over his shoulder at Shikamaru, "Good luck against Raiga, and remember, just because he's a swordsman doesn't mean close combat is his strong point." Kakuzu said as he stepped out of the tent._

_Shikamaru hesitated a moment before running out of his tent to find that Kakuzu was long gone._

_Flashback end_

"Taicho! You need to get in close to him to finish him off." Shikamaru informed as he stood to his feet and whipped out a Kunai in each hand.

Sakura looked at him with a 'Are-you-fucking-high?!' expression, "Are you high?! He's a master swordsman! I can't hold off someone like that up close!" she said.

Shika smirked, "Haven't you noticed? He's avoiding getting close, he's been fighting from a distance this whole time!"

Sakura's eyes widened before she donned a serious expression, "Up close and personal, got it." she muttered before diving out of the way of Raiga's next attacks.

"RAPID ARC LIGHTENING!"

Raiga launched numerous amounts of lightening bolts from the one sword at the two, they managed to dodge by shadow warping to the next isle of items and disappearing in a burst of pink and red speed.

On instinct, Raiga ducked as Sakura's flaming boot flew over his head, "SHOCKING FIRST BULLET!" she screamed with power as her foot hit the wall behind Raiga, blasting it from existence.

Raiga smirked and rolled forward while whipping his sword around at Sakura, "THUNDER PULSE!" he yelled.

A loud sonic boom left from the sword cutting a gap in the air, making many of the surviving missing ninjas wonder what was going on for Raiga to let off the emergency signal.

Shikamaru appeared from Raiga's shadow and thrust his Kunai at his back, Raiga reacted quickly and kicked Shikamaru away.

Shikamaru smirked as he let go off the kunai and was knocked from the blast radius out into the open, "Boom." He muttered.

The kunai that was in midair above raiga's head exploded thanks to explosive tag tied to it.

Sakura and Shikamaru regrouped as they were surrounded by thirty or so ninja, "Shit! Now what do we do?" Sakura gasped.

Shikamaru turned back-to-back with his captain and could feel that in comparison to him, she wasn't breathing heavily at all, "Taicho, Summons?" he asked.

She nodded, "I found one, but we can't without Lee!" she said.

Shikamaru smirked as he looked over to the burnt, bleeding and approaching form of Raiga. "Just you wait Taicho." He said.

Raiga waved the surrounding ninjas away, "I will kill them! Go recapture the slaves!" he ordered.

A ninja to his left stepped forward, "But Raiga-sam-Ack!" he fell to the ground dead as a bolt of lightning ripped through his heart.

"I SAID LEAVE!"

Immediately, the ninjas cleared the area, though many stayed within viewing distance while others went to get the slaves.

Shikamaru nodded, "Save your chakra for the summoning Taicho, help has arrived." He whispered.

Sakura glanced over her shoulder to see a glint of light from the roof of the shed, she looked up to see the glint was Lee, holding Raiga's thunder fang in one hand, and his own blades in his mouth and other hand respectively.

Lee winked at Sakura before leaping into the air and nose-diving at Raiga, who noticed as Lee's shadow appeared on the ground around him, he looked up.

"TRI-SLASH!"

Lee slammed his normal blade first, locking with Raiga's raised sword, then using the Thunder Fang, overpowered Raiga's hold.

Lee dropped to the ground in front of the off balance Raiga and span with his mouth holding his remaining blade upwards.

*SHLINCK*

Raiga's eyes widened as Lee's blade plunged into his right lung. Lee kicked Raiga away with his sword still lodged in Raiga's lung and took a low stance as a small trace of chakra enveloped him, "The First Gate: OPEN!" he yelled.

Shikamaru could see that this was the end, "Taicho! Do it now!" he yelled.

Sakura cut her palm on her hand and began forming hand signs as Lee disappeared in a green blurr and kicked Raiga into the air.

"LEAF DANCING SHADOW!" Lee announced as he appeared behind the stunned Raiga.

"SUMMONING JUTSU!"

"SWORD STYLE: HIDDEN LOTUS!"

Sakura and Shikamaru disappeared in a huge plume of smoke as Lee stabbed a blade into either of Raiga's shoulders and began spinning towards the ground.

***BOOOM***

The shockwave from Raiga hitting the ground cleared the smoke and knocked away any nearby ninja.

Lee panted as he threw his remaining blade at Raiga's unconscious form, delivering a fatal blow through his heart.

"Huh? Where am i?"

Sakura smiled and looked down to see a house sized Fire Bird casually looking around, it turned it's huge neck to see Sakura and Shikamaru on it's back, "Miss, did you summon me?" it asked.

Sakura nodded, "Yes I did! Can we please introduce ourselves later? We need to get out of here now!" she yelled between deep breaths.

The phoenix surveyed the area and noticed the many ninjas, "Sure thing, off we go." It said before spreading it's wings and flapping twice, blowing away the appropriate missing ninjas.

Shikamaru looked around the debris of the battlefield and finally spotted Lee, who held both of Raiga's Thunder Fangs in his grasp. "Taicho! I found him!" he said as he pointed.

Sakura swung her arm out, "WHIP FIST!"

Lee was in a defensive stance as two ninjas were charging at him, 'I'm too tired! My flames are diminishing.' He thought as he panted heavily.

"WHIP FIST!"

He turned and smiled as Sakura's hand grasped his forearm, "YOUTH!" he yelled as he was pulled into the air and onto the fleeing Phoenix's back.

Lee landed next to Shikamaru and Sakura and the three stared at each other in silence for a moment as the phoenix flew away from the island and toward the mainland of the Five Great Nations.

Sakura smiled, "We did it!" she yelled in victory.

Lee burst into loud laughter while Shikamaru chuckled with a smirk, Sakura laughed just as loud with Lee for a while as the three flew off into the night.

##################################

"I think you should do it."

"But Aniki, they're my family too!"

Sasuke sighed at Naruto's proclamation, "You already said that. And I know you truly mean it. Don't you realise there will be no difference really? They'll still be with you for every step of the journey, and if you do it you'll be able to gain all of their memories and experience. For the stronger ninjas you will even be able to do more of what they were capable of." Sasuke explained as he held a comforting hand on Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto sat in silence for a moment before looking up at the others in the room, "…Baa-chan?" he asked.

Tsunade sighed, "I think Sasuke and my grandfather are right Naruto. As much as I don't like it, it would be for the best." She said sadly.

Naruto looked over at Jiraiya and Kakashi, hoping they would disagree, "Sorry brat, but this really is the best option. It would help the village tremendously." Jiraiya put in his two cents.

Naruto looked down at his lap as Kakashi took two steps over to him, "Naruto, protecting the village is what all the Kages want done."

Naruto started to cry, '…Dad, Jiji, Baa-chan and Hashirama-sama would think it best…' "Okay. I'll do it, I'll absorb them." He said in defeat.

Sasuke patted his brother's back again, "It's time for bed. We'll go home and you can do it tonight alright? After all, we gotta leave for the escort mission first thing in the morning." He said.

Naruto nodded and wiped his tears before smiling, "Sure thing Aniki! Let's go home! G'night guys!" he said with his fake smile as he dragged his brother out of the Hokage office's window and began flying home.

Kakashi sighed, "I'll talk to him in the morning, Sasuke is right. Goodnight Jiraiya-sama, Hokage-sama." He said before disappearing in a poof of smoke.

####################################

**_Mindscape_**

"Hello Naruto."

Naruto opened his eyes to see Hashirama was the only one there to greet him, "Hey Hashi-sama." He said with a sad smile, "Where is everyone?"

Hashirama looked at Naruto with a frown, "I see you've made your decision. Absorb me and you'll know." He said as he kneeled in front of Naruto.

Naruto didn't understand what exactly was going on, but he trusted the first Hokage, "…Thankyou Hashirama, for starting the village, for helping me…thanks for everything." Naruto said as a tear came to his eyes.

Hashirama closed his own eyes, "It was my honour, Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze. Use our power to protect the village, it is now yours." The First Hokage said while thinking, 'I am truly sorry I betrayed you Naruto, I shouldn't have tried to force your hand by angering you…'

Naruto could feel that something was wrong, but he couldn't stop now. "Ninja art:…Soul Drain." He said as he fully absorbed the First Hokage and everything that he had in him.

Naruto blacked out inside his own mind as the knowledge and memory of everyone he had absorbed crashed into his mind. Tears flew from his eyes as the building he stood on collapsed, he felt the fear and pain of each of the people Hashirama absorbed, but he also felt the Shodaime's shame and sadness at having to absorb them.

'I forgive you..' was his last thought before falling into a deep sleep.

Kyuubi's chakra reached out and caught Naruto's consciousness, it pulled him to safety and lay him down in front of the cage. **"You never cease to amaze me Naruto, forgiving the man that absorbed your family." **Kyuubi said to the unconscious soul.

Kyuubi watched Naruto for a few moments as he slept, **"…If you could trust them all so much, I suppose I can instil some of my own trust in you." **It said before laying on it's own paws and resting.

##################################

The phoenix landed inside the boundary of Fire country as the sun was coming up, "We're here Sakura-chan." It said as it lowered it's neck and rested it's head on the ground.

The three Chunnin slid down the neck like a slide and landed softly, "Thankyou Kazumi, I promise I'll summon you again soon. I would really like to get to know you and your brethren more." Sakura said with a smile.

Kazumi seemed to smile as it stood tall, "I will inform our queen that we have a new summoner after nearly three hundred years, good luck you three."

And in a large poof of smoke, Kazumi was gone.

Sakura grinned as she turned to her two teammates, "Hey guys, I know it's morning already but how bout some sleep?" she asked with a grin.

"Way ahead of ya." Shikamaru said as he yawned from his spot on the ground.

Lee sat down next to Shikamaru, admiring his blades, "alas, even I am tired after thirty-six hours of no sleep. Although I must say this mission was more than worth the tiredness I am experiencing." He said with a soft shout.

Sakura lay down between the two, "Congratulations on your new swords Lee, and your new shadow jutsus Shika." She said.

Shikamaru smirked while Lee grinned, "And congrats on your first successful mission Taicho!" Lee announced.

Shika nodded, "And the Phoenix summons, you think they'll give us another lift this afternoon?" he asked.

Sakura chuckled, "No way lazy, we're gonna run the rest of the distance. We'll make it by dinner time, even if I have to drag you along."

Shikamaru groaned, "Troublesome woman..Good night." He muttered before closing his eyes.

"Have a most youthful sleep Shika, Taicho." Lee said as he dropped onto his back.

Sakura grinned, "G'night."

######################################

"Sasuke?"

"Sealing capsules double checked and confirmed. Ready."

"Naruto?"

"Pack completely stocked up, armoury filled to the brim and Memories fully synched. Ready."

"Neji?"

"Umm, my things are prepared? Ready?"

Kakashi glanced down at Neji who had a basic ninja pouch and some woollen fingerless gloves as the only changes to his outfit, Naruto had his camouflage activated to appear white as snow and Sasuke just wore his Chunnin jacket for extra warmth. "….Close enough."

Naruto grinned, "So Kakashi-Ouji, what is the mission all you've told us is that there'll be snow?" he asked excitedly.

Kakashi raised his arm in the air and dramatically pointed down the road away from the village, "We are to meet our client, Sandyu, and help him protect and escort an actress to each movie plot set in the Land of Snow!" he said as his newly worn scarf fluttered in the breeze.

"HAI SENSEI!" Naruto and Sasuke saluted together.

"Hai sensei." Neji answered much more quietly.

"Let's march!" Kakashi yelled as he leapt into a nearby tree, his team following closely behind him.

#####################################

Chapter End

Please R&R! reviews (Good,Bad or Random) are needed to live!


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Snow Mission

Before I start this next chapter, I would just like to say: HOLY MOTHER OF LOG! THREE-HUNDRED REVIEWS! AND THIRTY CHAPTERS (written not yet posted/edited)

Thank you to all who has read the story and liked it enough to continue reading :D

##################################

"That movie was great." Naruto stated as he, Sasuke and Neji walked out of the cinema in Taka town, no one would notice he acted differently except for those close to him. Sasuke had asked Naruto about it and the absorptions were explained to him. In effect, Naruto had gained approximately eighty years in battle experience, advanced understanding in many forms of Ninjutsu and Taijutsu from Hashirama, and a fierce battle persona mixed with a hint of sadism from Zabuza, an analytical mind as good as Kakashi's thanks to the combined thought processes and manipulative aspects from Mizuki. Though sometimes he would still appear as carefree as a dog or a small child.

Sasuke shrugged in response to Naruto, "It was alright."

Neji chuckled, "I thought it was funny, the way that those people act to make money. I kept imagining the actual shots, how awkward it would've been for the 'dead' actor to just lie there while the rest of the scene ends." Neji said with a classic Hyuuga smirk…which was eerily similar to the Uchiha smirk.

Which Sasuke mirrored, "So, do you think we'll be protecting the cast of this film? Or just a specific group?" he inquired.

Naruto shrugged, "I don't know, but one thing's for sure," he said as he casually leaned on a small piece of wood that he sprouted from the ground, "We'll be ready for it." he said with a confident smirk.

Neji felt something, so he activated his Byakugan, just as the billboard behind them shattered.

Naruto and Sasuke covered themselves from the debris, but Neji focussed his sight on the lady on the horse. "Princess Gale!" he gasped.

Naruto heard Neji's gasp and looked around, noticing a group of horsemen leaping through the area of the destroyed billboard and chasing after the Princess.

"We have to help her!" Naruto yelled as he shot forward with his wind funnels.

Sasuke noticed Naruto launch forward to the front of the group and whipped out his sealing tools, "Capture! Don't kill!" he ordered.

Within five seconds, Sasuke held four copies of a newly written seal in his hand, "SEALING ART: MOTION BARRIER!"

Sasuke threw each tag behind him and Neji, cutting off the second half of the group of horsemen. He turned to Neji's surprised form and ordered, "Let's go Neji!"

Neji snapped out of his shock at the seal and followed after Sasuke, who just noticed Naruto come to a halt in front of the group of horsemen. "WOOD STYLE: FOREST CALL!" Naruto yelled as he slammed his hands on the ground.

Civilians stared in shock as tree roots grew from the ground and picked up most of the horses in the air, halting the charge completely.

Sasuke noticed the few that were missed and grasped Neji's arm, "Get ready!" he said as he span, a moment later, Neji was thrown through the air towards the horsemen.

"GENTLE STEP: NUMBING PRESSURE!" Neji declared as he landed at the front of the group of charging horses.

With a few gentle pokes, the fell to their sides asleep, throwing their riders off the horses and onto the ground.

Naruto halted his chakra, "Aniki! Go get Princess Gale! We can find you with Neji's Byakugan!" he announced as he chuckled at the flailing and confused horsemen he had tied up in his technique.

Sasuke nodded and partially activated his curse mark, "Catch you later! Try to find Kakashi-sensei!" he announced as he leaped away in a blur.

Naruto looked away from his captives as the horsemen that Sasuke cut off finally arrived, just as their sensei did, "Sensei! These guys were attacking Princess Gale!" Naruto saluted as he got ready to fight off the remaining horsemen.

"Kakashi! Are these your ninjas?!"

Kakashi sighed as Naruto and Neji glanced up at the man yelling. "Yes they are, sorry about that Sandyu." Kakashi said before turning to Naruto, "Naruto, this is our client. Please let him and his men down."

Naruto just blinked, "But they were chasing-"NOW." Kakashi ordered.

Naruto held the serpent seal, "Sorry guys, I was just protecting the Princess." He said as his jutsu receded and placed the horses and the men back on their feet softly.

Sandyu stood tall with a grin, "Are you kidding?! That kid just lifted us off the ground with TREES! I'm sure glad I hired you guys!" he said with a laugh before one of his men tapped his shoulder.

"Umm, Sandyu-san, What about Miss Yukie?" he asked.

Sandyu gasped, "AAAHH! Why didn't you say something earlier?! Where did she go?" he asked as he looked around.

Neji approached the man, "It is alright. Team seven's hunter is on her trail. Would you like me to show you the way?" he asked politely.

Kakashi nudged Naruto while Sandyu was agreeing to Neji's request, "Why can't you be more like that around our clients?"

Naruto huffed and folded his arms, "As Mito-chan once said, 'better to be disliked as yourself then liked as someone else.'" He quoted with a wise smile.

Kakashi raised a brow as Sandyu sent his all of his men back to the caravan grounds, "Who is Mito-chan?" he asked.

Naruto blinked and shook his head, "Uhh, sorry. One of Hashirama's memories, she was his wife." Naruto explained.

Kakashi nodded slowly, "Right…is that likely to happen often?"

Naruto shook his head in a negative, "Not often, it's just that I've been synching up with Hashirama's medical knowledge lately, next will be Zabuza's knowledge. This should be the last time for him." He explained as Sandyu and Neji approached them.

"Sensei, would you like me to lead the way?" Neji asked.

Kakashi nodded, "Sure, go ahead. Naruto, show Sandyu-san the scenic route." He said with an eye smile as he leapt after Neji.

Naruto smirked and swiftly picked up Sandyu by the shoulders and flew up into the air, following after Neji and Kakashi.

"OH MY GOSH!" Sandyu screamed as the four disappeared to the northern outstretch of the town.

###############################

*Whoosh*

"Mmm, huh?"

Yukie opened her eyes and looked out the small round window, 'Morning already?' she blinked, as she saw a seagull fly past.

She blinked twice more before sitting up straight, realising she was on the boat. "SANDYUUUUU!" she screamed.

###########################

_Up on the deck_.

"SANDYUUUUU!"

Kakashi glanced at Sandyu, who was beginning to sweat heavily and shake in fear, "Help me. Please."

Kakashi eye-smiled before nodding, "Sasuke, can you please send Miss Yukie back to her room for a while?"

Sasuke stood from his seat on a barrel and stood in front of the door, activating his Sharingan, he smirked, "Sure Sensei."

A moment later, Yukie slammed the door open to storm out when she accidentally made eye contact with Sasuke.

To everyone else, it just seemed as Yukie changed her mind and turned back to her room. But to her it was much more intimidating.

She slammed open the door and came face to face with the red-eyed giant that kidnapped her from the bar, "Excuse me Miss Yukie, but the director would like you to get some rest before the big shoot." He said as a wave of killing intent moved over her.

She felt fear like never before so she just nodded and turned back to her room, seconds later forgetting the reason behind her change of mind.

Sasuke turned back to his teammates, "Done."

Neji smirked as Naruto grinned, "Very impressive Sasuke-san." Sandyu said with a grin.

Naruto hovered up to the captain of the massive boat they were on, "How much longer til we're in the land of snow's waters?" he asked.

The aged man raised a brow at the kid that was casually flying. "Not long now sonny, I'd say about two hours."

Naruto nodded, "Need a speed boost?"

The captain smirked, "Haha! Sure kid, you know how to change the direction of wind?" he said as he and the few crew mates around him laughed.

Naruto chuckled with a smirk and nodded, "Yes sir." he said calmly as he flew up into the air behind the boat.

The captain stopped laughing while the crew continued, 'did he just say yes?' the captain thought as he turned and looked behind his vessel.

Naruto took a deep breath and closed his eyes, holding his hand together, he tried his first time at absorbing nature chakra into his system, small marks slowly appeared on his face underneath his eyes.

The captain saw Naruto was focussing something into his hands so turned to his crew, "FULL SAIL! A STRONG BREEZE IS COMIN!"

Within moments the crew had the sails at full mast, just as Naruto let his chakra loose, "SAGE WIND STYLE: GREAT BREAKTHROUGH!"

The director of the movie sat with his film crew, recording as Naruto's nature powered wind chakra blew the boat at an incredible pace. 'This kid's gonna make me rich!' he thought with a grin.

##############################

"This is perfect!"

"Director! This is too dangerous! We can't stop on this iceberg to film."

The director waved the captain off, "Bah! The movie gods are telling me this is the PERFECT location! Dock the boat now!" he ordered as he walked over to his movie crew and began ordering them to get ready to film.

Kakashi sighed, 'Looks like this is gonna be much more complicated that we thought.' He thought as he noticed the shine of metal on top of the ice berg.

"Neji, use your Byakugan to scan the iceberg. Everyone, be ready for a difficult battle." Kakashi ordered to his three charges.

Instantly, the three prepared themselves, "Hai sensei."

Neji looked at the top of the berg just as the cast members began to act, "Found them. Three ninjas, wearing something that messes with my view of their chakra system. What's the plan sensei?" he asked.

Kakashi was quiet for a moment before answering, "Naruto, you have the strongest defensive plays so I want you to protect the crew and Yukie. Neji, Sasuke, take the two that charge in. I will handle the one that will stand back and then come help you if you need it."

Naruto frowned, "Why's that sensei?" he asked.

Kakashi eye smiled, "Because the one to stand back will most likely be the leader, the most powerful."

*BOOM*

Everyone looked up to see large amounts of snow falling, "Avalanche!" someone yelled as they all began running back towards the ship.

Kakashi turned "Neji! Naruto!"

The two jumped in front of the falling snow and began to spin, "KAITEN!"

The two swirling chakras met and held off the entire avalanche, the two stopped spinning after a moment, "How do you know the Hyuuga's ultimate defence?" Neji asked.

Naruto smirked, "Hiashi-sama owed me one."

Neji's Byakugan picked up two chakra sources approaching from each side, "Sasuke! Your left!" he yelled as he began running to the slower of the two ninjas.

Naruto leapt backwards as Sasuke sprinted forward, activating his curse mark along the way.

Kakashi looked up at the final ninja who stood just above the peak. "Looks like he's mine."

###################

Sasuke sped up to the snowboarding ninja with his curse mark glowing, "Too easy."

The snow ninja gasped as Sasuke appeared in his way, "Stupid brat!" he yelled as he sent chakra into his board and shot forward.

Sasuke's eyes widened as he activated his Sharingan, easily keeping up with the ninja's movement.

The snow ninja raised an arm to try and clothesline Sasuke, but Sasuke ducked and kicked out with his own strike.

The snow ninja's eyes widened in shock as Sasuke kicked the front of his board and flipped him off of it. The ninja spun in mid-air to try and regain his balance but Sasuke was already there, "CHIDORI!"

The snow ninja's armour glowed and created a bubble of chakra which Sasuke's Chidori barely cracked.

The force of Sasuke's attack meeting with the armour shield made an explosion, throwing the snow nin into the water and Sasuke back towards the ship.

Sasuke landed with a roll and looked up with a smirk, "Too easy." He declared.

##########################

Neji stood tall as a female snow ninja charged at him, "Awe, a little boy thinks he can handle me?" she said as she began forming hand seals.

Neji scanned her armour with his Byakugan, "So, the constant flow of chakra mixed with the channelling focus groups create some kind of defence in your armour?" Neji asked.

The snow nin faulted in her hand signs, "What the fuck?" she asked.

Neji focussed hard while she was off-guard, "EIGHT TRIGRAMS: SKY PALM!"

Even though Neji hadn't yet perfected the technique, it still managed to knock her back when the chakra shield activated.

She shook off the blow and restarted her hand signs, "ICE STYLE: SWALLOW STORM!"

Neji span and destroyed the flock of ice swallows that attacked him with a Kaiten, following it up by charging at her directly.

She jumped into the air and suddenly, mechanical wings appeared from behind her back, she flew into the air and made more signs, "ICE STYLE: ICE PRISON!"

Neji saw the chakra fed into the snow beneath him, he avoided the rising prisons by leaping off to the side and continued running.

Neji pretended to only be fleeing, but he was circling to stop underneath her as she held a hand-sign to focus the jutsu.

Neji smirked, 'My final blow!' he thought as he whipped out a black handle and an explosive note.

*BOOM*

Neji's explosive note destroyed the chasing ice and gave him cover as he sent a pulse of chakra into his weapon.

The snow ninja shielded her eyes from the flying debris before she heard an odd buzzing noise. She looked down to see Neji mid swing with the Sword of the Thunder God.

"IT'S OVER!"

The Sword of the Thunder God passed through the shield with no resistance since it was made of pure lightening and not lightening chakra.

Neji landed on the ground in a crouch as he sheathed his weapon, the snow ninja's head landing by his side as her body crashed to the ground.

Neji grimaced as he looked at the body of his first kill, 'Better get Sasuke for the clean up.' He thought as he held back his unsettledness and turned to the ship.

################################

"ICE STYLE: HORNED WHALE JUTSU!" Kakashi and his opponent yelled in unison as Kakashi used his Sharingan to copy his enemy's technique.

The ice user laughed, "Very good Kakashi! I see you're just as powerful as before!" the ninja yelled as he leapt back.

Since Kakashi had the high-ground at this point, he smirked under his mask as he saw his team make quick work of their opponents. "It's over Nadare, give up now."

Nadare laughed, "It's not over until Lord Dotou has the Hex Crystal!" he yelled as he began forming more seals.

"ICE STYLE: ICE SPEARS!"

Kakashi charged chakra into his feet and leapt high over Nadare and his technique, in mid-air he flipped, catching the other snow ninja's board that Sasuke threw to him.

Nadare stared in shock as Kakashi snow boarded back to the boat, he looked around to see his male accomplice no-where in sight and the woman dead on the ground. "What?! NO!" he yelled in anger and a bit of fear.

Kakashi got within view of the ship and yelled out, "Full Attack Boys!"

Naruto, who stood on the back of the boat, formed hand signs as Sasuke threw his jutsu enhancement seal into the air. "WATER STYLE: WATER DRAGON JUTSU!"

The water dragon grew from the water and hit Sasuke's seal, giving it more speed and pulling more water from the sea, Neji swung his sword through the air, "LIGHTENING SENBON!"

By sending chakra into his sword, Neji launched twenty senbon made of pure electricity from the blade into the dragon, making it crackle with electricity as it closed in on Nadare's position.

Nadare's eyes widened as the dragon bore down on him, "ICE STYLE: REVERSE AVALANCHE!" he yelled as he made hand signs.

A large amount of snow rose up under the dragon, forming a huge wall of ice and snow between Nadare and the dragon.

****BOOOOOM****

The resulting explosion completely blocked Nadare from view and split the iceberg in half while it caused a natural avalanche which pushed the boat, team Kakashi and all of the crew safely away from the ice berg.

Kakashi stood on the bow of the boat with the snow board in his grasp, Naruto to his left dripping with cold water as he hovered above ground, Sasuke and Neji stood to his right, Sasuke holding a scroll with the sealed body of Neji's kill and Neji stood with his sword at his side.

The sun began to set behind the collapsing iceberg as it broke in half, shining a heroic light over the four. "Good work boys, now let's finish this mission." Kakashi said with an eye-smile.

"AAAAND CUT!"

###############################

After the incident, the boat full of people finally docked an hour later, though everyone decided to sleep on the ship and to move out early in the morning instead of venturing onto land at night time, thus giving Kakashi and the team time to corner Sandyu in his room.

"Why would someone send a Jonin and two Chunnin to stop us from making this film?" Kakashi asked Sandyu.

Sandyu sat sweating, "Umm, I'm not sure, coincidence?" he asked with a nervous chuckle.

Sasuke watched with his Sharingan as did Neji with his Byakugan, "Lying." They said in unison.

Sandyu shrunk in nervousness as Kakashi glared at him with his single visible eye, "Tell me or we'll leave right now." He demanded.

Sandyu stood from his chair, "NO! you must stay to help the Princess!" he demanded.

Naruto raised a brow, "You do realise she's only a Princess in the movies right?" he asked.

Sandyu stiffened, "Haha, yes. I knew that. Didn't you? Ha ha….ha." he said nervously as he sat back down, avoiding eye contact with anyone.

"Lying."

Kakashi stood quiet for a moment, "Is that why you requested me specifically? Is she the one I evacuated years ago?" he asked as he crossed his arms.

Sandyu hesitated before nodding, "Yes, she's Koyuki-sama." He said quietly as he stared at his lap.

Sasuke's eye flashed in recognition, "Princess Koyuki Kazahana of snow country, the missing Princess. Worth eight hundred thousand ryo if delivered alive to the current leader of Snow country: Lord Dotou Kazahana." He recited.

Kakashi sighed, "Alright, we'll escort her there safely still. We'll protect her till the end of this movie, then we're done. Get what I'm saying?" Kakashi hinted.

Sandyu nodded sadly, "So, you'll only help until the film is complete. Then we'll be left defenceless."

Kakashi twitched in irritation, "You're thinking of the glass half empty Sandyu."

Sandyu looked at Kakashi in confusion before jumping to his feet, "So you'll protect her no matter what until the film is completely done!" he cheered.

The ninjas sweat dropped at the dim-witted man, "Yes. Until everything is finished or we are asked to leave, we have to stay." Kakashi said.

Sandyu grinned before looking nervous again, "Oh! But you can't tell Koyuki about this! Or else she'll try to leave again!"

Neji face-palmed, "I do wish you said that earlier." He muttered.

Everyone turned to him, "Why?" Kakashi asked.

Neji sighed and opened the door he stood next to, which Koyuki stood behind with her ear to the door. Thus, she fell in as the door opened.

The room was silent until Koyuki got to her feet, "Sandyu, I won't do it! No one can beat my uncle! He's just too powerful!" she screamed as she ran out the door.

Kakashi glanced at Naruto, who grinned, "Don't worry, she's going nowhere tonight. My wood clones have closed off every entrance and exit. They're standing guard now as well." He said.

Kakashi nodded, "Alright, I guess we should all head off to bed then. Eventually Koyuki-hime will calm down and she'll go back to her room for rest. Good night everyone." He said as he 'Poofed' away.

Sandyu sat in shock as the three boys calmly exited, carrying the victories from the battle.

##############################

"So what do you guys think the plan for the next portion should be?" Kakashi asked as he closed the door to their room.

Naruto, who was already laying on his bed, frowned in confusion, "What do you mean sensei? Don't we just have to get Koyuki to her castle?" he asked.

Sasuke sighed at his brother's idiocy, "Otouto, the Lord of the Land of Snow wants her captured. Not rescued."

Neji nodded, "It won't be as easy as get her to the castle and he'll just give up."

Naruto frowned in annoyance, "So why can't we just hack him to pieces and be done with it?"

Sasuke kicked Naruto's shin, "Come back to us Naruto."

Naruto shook his head, "Ugh, sorry. That was Zabuza talking," he muttered as he began rubbing his temples.

Kakashi took over the explanation, "Because that would just look as though Konoha ninja are trying to take over the Land of Snow. We need a way to make it visible that we are protecting the Princess while discovering he not only why he wants her alive, but to foil his plan since he seems to be the bad guy here."

Sasuke nodded, "So what type of plan can we use to ensure it looks like we are acting within mission parameters?"

Kakashi and Neji sat in thought for a moment, "…Not sure." Kakashi finally said.

Naruto shrugged, "We could just go with the obvious and stupid idea."

Neji raised a brow as did Sasuke, "And what's that Naruto?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto smirked as he realised he had a plan and the others didn't, "Let her get kidnapped, then go rescue her. That way we'll have to take out all those after her since they'll between us and her."

Sasuke blinked in shock at his brother's stupid yet amazingly effective plan.

Neji nodded, "It would seem to be our best option."

Naruto grinned, "Now we just have to find out exactly what Dotou is after."

Kakashi sifted through his memories of his last mission in the Land of Snow and what Nadare had said to him this time. "….The Hex Crystal."

Sasuke heard his sensei's whisper, "What crystal?"

Kakashi looked up, realising he had the attention of his team, "Both times Nadare and I have fought, he has claimed to be after a 'Hex Crystal', we can only assume Dotou believes it is in Princess Koyuki's possession." He explained.

Neji nodded, "I noticed an odd crystal on her necklace with my Byakugan."

Sasuke nodded, "As a precaution, we should replace it with a fake until we know for sure what the use of the real one is."

Naruto grinned, "I can do that easily. What does it look like Neji?"

Neji described it to Naruto, who made an exact replica of it with wood and passed it to Kakashi, "Good work guys. I'll swap it while she's asleep, you three nod off now." Kakashi said before disappearing in a poof of smoke.

################################

*DING DING*

"The Princess has run away again!" Sandyu yelled as he rang his hand held bell.

Kakashi and his team leapt to his side next to the large caravan, "Where was she seen last?" Kakashi asked.

Sandyu panted, "She was in her carriage last time I checked, but that was half an hour ago!"

Kakashi nodded before turning to his team, "Naruto, find her and bring her back asap. Neji, you'll be rear guard of the caravan. Sasuke, up front. I will do a canvas of the area and by the time I'm back I want Koyuki-hime here and protected. Go!"

"Hai Sensei!" the three chanted before leaping off to do their jobs.

########################

Naruto stuck his head into the Princess' private caravan and used Akamaru's keen sense of smell to memorise her scent.

He flew along the path the caravan had come from, just before a large tunnel he got a whiff of her scent off the side of the cliff. 'This is where she jumped out.'

Naruto hovered higher into the air, spotting the foot tracks of the princess in the snow, "Got you now." He muttered as he began to fly in her general direction.

########################

Koyuki ran through the waist high snow with an extremely depressed expression on her face, "Uncle Dotou will kill us all, there's no way we can win!" she angrily said as she pushed past a tree.

"Grrrrrrr."

Koyuki froze before glancing to her right, seeing four wolves approaching her in a hunt. She put her back to the tree as she stared in fear before becoming blank in expression, "At least this way Dotou can't get the crystal…there truly is no hope for the Land of Snow." She said depressingly as two wolves began to run at her.

She closed her eyes in acceptance, only to hear the two animals wining. She opened her eyes before they widened further in fear.

Naruto stood in front of her in an animalistic crouch with his 'Man-beast transformation technique' activated and the demonic aura from Zabuza wrapping his body.

"Run."

As if understanding his order, the wolves slowly retreated behind some trees away from the obvious alpha.

Naruto turned to Koyuki as he dropped his techniques, now appearing normally before her he grinned, "Hey Princess, think you can get away from us that easily?" he asked with a chuckle.

Koyuki sighed, "You Konoha ninja, don't you know when to give up?" she asked as she pushed off the tree away from him in a huff.

She squealed in shock as Naruto picked her up in a piggy back and began carrying her back to the caravan through the air, "Give up trying to make me give up." He muttered as he began hovering back along the path he took to get to her.

Koyuki tried to hide her shock that they were flying and instead huffed in annoyance, "Why do you try so hard? It won't matter no matter what you do! Dotou will just kill you if you stand up to him." She said fiercely.

Naruto, who had sensed the approaching pack of wolves surrounding them, dropped her onto her ass and whipped out his sword. "Nothing will kill me until I have completed my goal." He declared as she stared around them in fear.

The first wolf lunged at his back, the wolf's teeth bit down on Naruto's arm which was armoured with his solid leaf gauntlet.

Naruto kicked the wolf with his adamantine strength as the second and third wolf dove at him at the same time.

*CRACK*

As the airborne wolf hit a tree, Naruto flung his sword around above him and used the blunt side to knock both wolves away. The moment his blade stopped, the final wolf leapt at his unprotected neck.

Naruto held his sword up quickly, catching the wolf's head in the hole of the sword and he dug the sword into the ground on an angle so the wolf could no longer move.

The three injured wolves circled him again as he took a deep breath and re-activated his demonic essence, "LEAVE!" he ordered.

The three wolves froze as Naruto freed his captive wolf. The wolf stared up at Naruto before once again retreating, this time Naruto didn't stop glaring until they were completely out of view.

Naruto casually re-sheathed his blade but kept his essence active as he turned to Koyuki, who stared at Naruto with wide eyes, "Like I said, Nothing can kill me just yet." He said with a cocky but serious smirk as he held out his hand to Koyuki.

Koyuki frowned as she wanted to turn away the offer of friendship, but she didn't stop herself from reaching up and grasping his hand.

Moments later, Naruto hovered along the snow with Koyuki on his back safely once again.

###############################

Kakashi landed back next to Sandyu, "Everything is safe in the immediate area, but I did notice a large amount of tiny chakra systems halfway up that slope." He informed as he pointed at the cliff.

Sandyu froze, "Dotou's ninjas?"

Kakashi shook his head, "No way, not enough chakra. If anything it might just be some samurai."

Sandyu's eyes lit up, "Samurai?! They heeded my call!" he said as he began running off, "Protect the carriages Kakashi! I'll be right back!" he said as he ran off.

Kakashi sighed, and leapt over to Sasuke, "Follow after him, make sure he isn't running into a trap or something okay?"

Sasuke nodded and activated his Sharingan as he easily caught up to and began to follow Sandyu, "This isn't as fun as before." He muttered under his breath.

##############################

Naruto landed and began walking through the tunnel towards the caravan, "Not long now Princess, They're just outside of….huh?"

Koyuki looked up at Naruto in confusion before noticing he was looking down, she followed his glance to see the old train tracks were suddenly appearing from under the snow. "Are those train tracks?" he asked.

She nodded as he kicked them, his sensory abilities from Mizuki kicking in, 'Chakra, there's chakra melting the snow.' He thought as he glanced behind him.

A loud rumbling began, "Naruto, I have a bad feeling about this." Koyuki muttered.

Naruto nodded and formed a water clone, "Take Koyuki-hime back to the caravan now. I'll be there soon." He ordered.

The clone picked up Koyuki bridal style and began sprinting away, Koyuki looked over it's shoulder, "Naruto what's happening?!" she yelled as she disappeared around the corner.

Naruto thought hard as he began to hear the rumbling get louder, 'It could just be a coincidence, so I can't do anything drastic like destroy the tracks or cave in this place. Looks like I'll just have to stop the train without causing major damage.' He thought with a smirk as he took a low stance and pulled back his arms.

The light from the train entered his vision and soon the train was charging at him, not showing any signs of slowing down.

Naruto took a deep breath and dug his feet into the snow, "Now this is a chance to test my strength!" Naruto yelled as he threw his arms forward as the train hit him.

#######################

"Sensei! Train incoming!" Neji yelled as he scanned the tunnel with his eyes, "And one of Naruto's clones! It's got Koyuki-hime!" he declared.

Kakashi landed next to Neji and began to shout orders to everyone, "Take the caravan to that clearing quickly! Then get everyone inside!" he then turned to stand with the gennin, "Where's the real Naruto Neji?"

Since Neji didn't answer, Kakashi looked down at him, only to see his gaped expression. "Neji?"

Neji blinked at what he was seeing as the water clone appeared with Koyuki, "Naruto's slowing the train! With his bare hands!" Neji exclaimed.

The water clone glanced at Kakashi before jumping over them and continued to carry Koyuki to the clearing at the dip of the next hill, "Thirty seconds sensei!" it declared as it cleared the two.

Neji then turned to the top of the hill, "It's Sandyu and the samurai! They're at the lip of the hill and are taking a battle position." He explained.

Kakashi nodded before staring into the tunnel, where he heard the loud shrieking of metal scraping across metal, along with the sound of Naruto's slowly increasing scream of effort.

Kakashi's eye widened when the train slowly appeared from the tunnel, Naruto having slowed it now to a complete halt.

Naruto jumped back to land in front of Neji and Kakashi, he was sweating heavily but had a wide smirk on his face. "That was fun!" he declared, 'Though with Senjutsu chakra running through my body I probably could've stopped the train in seconds instead a minute'.

The three stood in preparation of what would happen since only the first carriage had managed to exit the tunnel, when suddenly a hatch opened on top of it.

A man raised up from the hatch in the royal robes of the Land of Snow, "PRINCESS KOYUKI!" he yelled.

Neji looked at the man with his Byakugan, "He has a powerful chakra system AND more of that odd armour."

Kakashi nodded, "Dotou." He muttered.

Dotou grinned darkly, "Koyuki, if you turn yourself over to me now I won't kill all of these people!" he shouted.

Koyuki shivered in her hiding place, 'He's gonna kill everyone!' she thought in fear.

She pushed her guard off of her and ran into the open, "DON'T HURT THEM!" she yelled out.

The three ninjas turned in shock at Koyuki's stupidity, "Shit! Get ready boys!" Kakashi ordered.

Naruto took a stance as the train began moving again while Neji just began stepping back, "The samurais are coming."

"DOTOU! YOUR REIGN OF TERROR ENDS HERE!" Sandyu screamed from the top of the hill.

Everyone looked up the hill with wide eyes as hundreds of samurai began sprinting towards the slowly approaching train with their swords held high.

Dotou smirked as the second carriage opened up, "Fire." He ordered.

Hundreds of Kunai were launched from the train, each armed with explosive notes.

****BOOOOM****

Everyone stared in shock at the entire hillside was covered in fire and smoke, an eerie silence fell over the camp before suddenly, the smoke began to bend around something travelling down the hill at insane speeds.

Bursting from the bottom of the smoke cloud, Sasuke appeared on the snow board stolen from earlier and he continued zooming at the train as the smoke cleared behind him. Showing a dissipating barrier that had protected all of the stunned silent samurai.

Sasuke whipped out his Kusarigama as Dotou waved his arm, "Round two! Fire!"

Sasuke sent chakra into one of the seals on his chain, "SEALING ART: FULL MAGNETISM!"

All of the kunai bent in their path and began to follow the weight of his weapon, the magnetic pull even managed to tilt the iron train in his direction and gather the swords from each of the samurai.

Dotou stared in shock as Sasuke jumped with his board, side flipping through the gap between the first and second carriages.

Sasuke de-activated the magnetism of his weapon as he cleared the train, Dotou turned and stared in horror as all of the explosive kunai impacted the train.

****BOOOOM****

The train was flipped off of the tracks and disappeared off the side of the cliff in a fiery blaze.

Everyone stared in shock as Sasuke pulled himself up from the cliff face thanks to his weapon being lodged into the Cliffside. "Well that was fun." He said with a calm smirk as he picked up his board and re-wrapped his chain around his chest.

"Now that's how my Aniki should fight!" Naruto exclaimed as he ran over and gave Sasuke a one armed hug.

The samurai and movie crew began cheering in celebration at driving off Dotou's attack.

Neji stood next to the silent Kakashi, "Sensei…something feels…"

Kakashi nodded, "Off. That was too easy for a fight against a supposed technological Lord."

Neji activated his Byakugan and scanned down the Cliffside, he gasped as he saw what was coming, "One of the carriages has broken off! It's flying!" he exclaimed.

Kakashi blinked in shock before looking northward, everyone's laughter stopped as the carriage flew over head with Dotou standing on it's roof. "Good try Leaf Ninja!" he yelled.

The male Chunnin from earlier stood on the underside of the flying carriage, "HA!" he yelled as his hand detached and launched at Koyuki, he grasped her cloak and within moments he had successfully pulled her aboard the airship.

Kakashi immediately went into action, "Naruto! Chase them!" he ordered as he pulled the real Hex Crystal from his pocket and threw it into the air.

Naruto immediately flew through the air and caught the crystal before continuing after the war ship as it disappeared into the distance, Kakashi turned to everyone who was land bound, "Sasuke! Neji! Follow after Naruto! I'll secure this area then follow you as soon as I can!"

Sasuke hopped onto the snowboard and using the power of his curse seal focussed through his leg, shot off at insane speeds across the snow, towing along Neji behind him.

############################

"Let me in!" Naruto yelled as he punched through the wall of the airship and rolled inside, he was covered in shallow cuts from the ice flakes in the cold air.

Naruto looked up before ducking under a punch, he rolled to the side before kicking the attacker away and out of the hole he entered from.

Naruto stood tall and raised a brow at the three swordsmen surrounding him, 'Almost no chakra from the three of them. If these guys were lucky I might mistake them for academy students.' He thought as the three whipped out their blades.

Naruto laughed openly, "You call those puny things swords?!" he yelled as his demonic essence started to show slightly.

The three men were sweating, but their guards didn't faulter, until Naruto whipped out Kubikiri Bocho, "THIS is a sword!" he announced as he began laughing sadistically and charged at the enemy in front of him just as a flood of other swordsmen and a few low level ninjas entered the large room.

###################

*SLAP*

"Where is the Hex Crystal!" Dotou yelled as his niece fell to the ground.

She looked up at him in fear, "i-I don't understand, that is the crystal!" she said in fear.

Dotou through the fake on the ground and stomped on it, smashing it into small splinters, "That was a piece of purple wood! Do think I'm a moron?!" he yelled.

He moved to slap her again when Nadare ran into the room, "Sir, one of the ninjas managed to get aboard the ship somehow. What are our orders?"

Dotou frowned before walking over to his monitors and locating the screen showing a live feed from the main room of his warship. His eyes widened as Naruto fought through the fifty or so opponents with nothing but his sword, a dark smile on his face the whole time.

Dotou frowned as he watched Naruto for a few seconds, "Tell your Chunnin to get him, alive if possible. He might know where the crystal is." He ordered.

Nadare nodded before running out of the room to fulfil his Lord's orders.

Dotou sat in his large chair and continued watching the footage as Koyuki slowly crawled to her feet, glancing at the screens, she saw Naruto's determination and remembered the things he told her.

"_Give up trying to make me give up!"_

"_Nothing can kill me until I complete my goal."_

"_Like I said, Nothing can kill me just yet."_

She looked at her hands sadly, 'Naruto, he's putting everything into this just because his village asked him to.' She looked up at her uncle before eyeing the many weapons on the wall, 'if some kid can put his life on the line for his village, I can too! My people are counting on me!' she thought as she gripped one of the short blades in her hand.

Dotou's eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of some reflected light on the screen, "Hey, go back a second." He ordered one of his security men.

The man rewound the footage and froze it on a point where Naruto just slashed through a man's stomach, "Zoom in."

The picture zoomed in and showed Naruto staring straight at the camera with a toothy smirk on his face, Dotou's narrowed as he spotted the real Hex Crystal tied to the string he held between his teeth.

Dotou stood tall, "Turn on the megaphone! Give me the mic!" he ordered as he turned and stepped up to the railing to overlook the machine room.

Seeing some light enter his peripheral vision, he turned to his left. His eyes widened as Koyuki dove at him, the short blade glistening in the light, "Die!" she shouted.

Koyuki slammed into her uncle, knocking him over the railing. She stared in shock as he disappeared from the balcony, his microphone falling to the ground and shattering.

She looked down at the blade and looked in confusion as she noticed no blood on the blade, "Ah, the same fighting spirit as your father once had."

Koyuki looked up in shock as uncle flew up and stood back on the balcony using his mechanical wings. "And here I thought you were useless." He said with an evil grin.

She went to stab at him again but was grabbed from behind by Nadare who appeared from the hallway, "Sir, Mizore has entered combat with the ninja. What do you want me to do with her?" he asked as he pushed Koyuki to her knees.

Dotou grinned evilly, "Nadare, go help Mizore. That kid has the crystal in his possession, I need it asap. I'll hand my lovely niece." Dotou ordered as he began walking over to Koyuki.

Nadare nodded before once again running down the hallway to help his disciple fight.

Dotou roughly grabbed Koyuki and sat her in front of the screens so that she could 'watch-Naruto-die.' "Captain, make course for the well of treasures. We're ready."

Koyuki watched the screen as Naruto was now defending against a volley of projectiles and jutsus, 'Naruto, you must win!'

##############################

Naruto smirked as he swung his blade through the air, knocking a volley of kunai to the side. 'How much longer til someone challenging shows up?' he thought as he blew a Great Breakthrough, blowing everything and everyone to the opposite side of the room.

Naruto held a hand sign, "WATER CLONE JUTSU!" he yelled as he swung his sword.

One hundred Naruto clones leapt from the water sealed inside the blade and dove headfirst into his opponents, exploding on contact and blasting his opponents out of the hole he punched through the wall upon his entrance, 'Too easy.' He thought as he walked forward and stabbed his sword into the ground, letting it slowly re-absorb the remaining water.

Naruto's animal instincts let him hear something flying through the air behind him, he turned on guard to see a blade stab from the outside of the ship and hold.

"BURST LIGHTNING!"

The wall exploded inwards and in fell Sasuke and Neji, each holding their weapons. "How the hell did you guys get up here?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke smirked, "This board can get some serious speed, mix that with an antigravity seal and the fact you guys just flew past the lip of a mountain." He explained as he re-wrapped his chain around his chest, holding the board to his back in the process.

Naruto was about to reply when Neji yelled, "DUCK!"

Naruto ducked as a metal fist passed over his head from behind, Sasuke quickly dove out the way as the fist lodged in the ground where he stood.

The cable connected to the fist carried the wielder over and he landed in a crouch in the centre of the three ninjas.

Mizore stood, he turned slowly analysing his three opponents before stopping on Sasuke, "You took my board." He said as the cable retracted fully and he clenched his fist.

Sasuke blinked on his Sharingan, "You two handle the other goons then go find Koyuki-hime. This guy wants my new toy," Sasuke smirked as his Sharingan span, "and I'm not parting with it quietly."

Neji clipped his de-activated blade handle onto his beltline, "Taicho, let's go."

Naruto smirked as he and Neji ran down the corridor Mizore came from, "Still calling me Taicho aye Neji?" Naruto asked rhetorically as the two left Sasuke's battlefield.

Sasuke blinked and subtly activated his Genjutsu, 'Visual Jutsu: Vertigo.'

Mizore twitched before smirking, "Genjutsu? Ha, that won't work on me kid! My armour prevents it!" Mizore yelled as he began slowly stomping forward.

Sasuke frowned as he discovered what Mizore said was true, but with his Sharingan, Sasuke was easily able to evade every strike Mizore threw, 'Fat oaf.' Sasuke thought as he ducked under a swing and kicked up at Mizore's chin.

The kick impacted, but Mizore merely stepped with the blow, "Heh, you kick hard for a kid."

Sasuke leapt back and frowned, 'He's a brute, so no matter how much faster I am than him it doesn't matter. And that damn armour cuts off my chakra from effecting him with Genjutsu. Ninjutsu it is.' He thought as Mizore charged again.

"Ha!" Mizore yelled as he threw a punch at Sasuke's chest.

Sasuke leapt up and performed a front flip, pushing off of Mizore's arm for leverage, he span in the air and kicked behind him, knocking Mizore forward a step.

Sasuke landed and formed hand signs as Mizore turned around, "CHIDORI!"

Mizure's armour glowed and the armour's chakra bubble appeared, blocking the Chidori and making another explosion, launching the two apart.

Sasuke smirked as he landed in a crouch on the wall, using his chakra to stick. 'Right, it stops my Ninjutsu as well. Now this is a challenge.' Sasuke thought as his Sharingan span faster as he analysed everything he could about the armour, he focussed on the chest plate, 'I cracked it with my Chidori!'

Mizore stood to his feet, "That does it!" he yelled as he began forming seals.

Sasuke's Sharingan copied the seals as both of them pulled falling snow in from either of the holes in the walls.

""ICE STYLE: VIOLENT BURST!""

The two attacks collided, but Sasuke's eyes widened as his copy was overrun and he had to leap up onto a balcony to avoid being hit, 'The hell? His chakra was amplified!' Sasuke thought.

Sasuke glared at Mizore who began forming more seals that Sasuke copied, this time Sasuke poured more chakra than necessary into the jutsu.

""ICE STYLE: RAPID FIRE SNOWBALLS!""

This time, the two jutsus were equal in strength and distribution, causing Mizore to frown as the snow began falling in his view.

He looked up to see that Sasuke was no longer on the balcony and began looking around to find him, "Give me my board back you brat!" Mizore yelled as he began forming more seals which the hidden Sasuke's Sharingan copied.

"ICE STYLE: BLIZZARD!"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the snow picked up and began swirling around Mizore, 'Moron, my Sharingan can see it clearly.' Sasuke thought as he tapped a sealing capsule on his belt, unsealing his sealing utensils.

Mizore, seeing that Sasuke wasn't hiding in the snow, ended his jutsu. "Where are ya kid?" he yelled as he walked forward calmly as if nothing Sasuke could do could harm him.

Sasuke smirked as he finished his seals, he threw them amongst the falling snow so that Mizore didn't notice.

Sasuke then leapt down to stand opposite Mizore, "You can't hit me. And I can't hurt you. So how's this gonna end?" Sasuke asked.

Mizore grinned as Sasuke finally became visible, "Simple, I kill you and take my board back."

Sasuke raised a brow before lifting the board off of his back and throwing it on the ground between them. "You get the board, I get to leave. Deal?" Sasuke asked.

Mizore smirked as he began running towards his board, "I get my board, and you DIE!" he said as he took the final step and reached down to grab his board.

The four seals around Mizore lit up and joined in a hot line as Sasuke held a one handed tiger seal, "SEALING ART: ACID VALUE!"

A line of acid came from the seals and made a square around the confused Mizore. The acid burned through the floor and suddenly, the four meter squared piece of floor he stood on fell from the ship's structure.

Mizore acted as quickly as he could and reached down to grab his board, only to stare in shock as it levitated in place and he fell past it, seeing the anti-gravity seals on it's underside.

"NOOOOooo.." Mizore yelled as he fell out of sight.

Sasuke smirked and leapt over the hole, picking up the board on the way. "Plan A successful." He murmured.

"….aaaAHAHAHA!"

Sasuke turned around and saw Mizure's extended hand gripping the edge of the hole and pulling him back up, not a second later Mizore stood on the edge of the hole smirking, "You didn't think I'd be that easy do you?!"

Sasuke frowned, 'Plan B it is.' Sasuke thought as he activated his curse mark to cover his entire body.

Mizore laughed, "I WILL HAVE MY BOARD! AND YOUR LIFE!" he yelled as he launched his fist forward at Sasuke.

Sasuke waited until the last second to duck under the fist before slapping a ready seal onto Mizore's fist, "SEALING ART: STATIC COLLECTION!"

All the static electricity in the vicinity formed and since it was pure electricity, it zapped Mizore through his metallic cable and his armour, stunning him for a moment.

Sasuke sprinted forward as he charged his Curse Seal chakra. "DARKNESS CHIDORI!" he screamed as he slammed his lightening fist forward.

Mizore's Chakra shield pulsed out to protect him, but with the crack already weakening it and Sasuke's overpowered jutsu, it shattered and Sasuke's fist slammed through Mizore's chest and out the back.

Sasuke stood still for a moment before pulling his arm free and pushing Mizore back, the snow ninja's corpse fell out the hole Sasuke made and down into towards the ground below.

Sasuke walked back and picked up the board and placed back on his back. "Good fight ninja-san." Sasuke said with a nod as he deactivated his curse mark and his Sharingan.

He looked out the hole and noticed the snow was clearing, he stuck his head out and his eyes widened as he saw the ship was making way to land in a large field surrounded by large pillars.

#########################

"SHURIKEN SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!"

"LIGHTENING SENBON JUTSU!"

The electrified shuriken tore through the last twenty opponents of Naruto and Neji as they leapt out of the last hallway.

"ICE STYLE: SAPPHIRE DRAGON JUTSU!"

Neji leapt in front of Naruto and span, "KAITEN!"

The dark blue dragon of ice shattered upon hitting the chakra shield, Neji came to a stop and jumped as Naruto launched another jutsu, aiming straight for Nadare. "WATER STYLE: WATER DRAGON JUTSU!"

Nadare smirked and leapt over the attack calmly, landing in front of the two in a crouch; he then stood and crossed his arms. "So, you're the one with the real crystal." He said as he looked at Naruto.

Naruto smirked and lifted the crystal out of his pocket, "Oh, you mean this?" he asked as he put the necklace on, "If you want it, come get it." Naruto said as he whipped out his sword.

Neji, who had his Byakugan activated, saw the ground enter his vision as the airship began lowering. "Taicho, we are almost at the location." He whispered.

Naruto smirked and held his sword in the air, "HIDDEN MIST JUTSU!" he declared, making a light mist fill the room.

Nadare's smirk faltered, 'Hmm, what's the point of him making us all blind?' Nadare thought as he quietly leapt to the side and began to try and listen for the two.

Neji, who could see fine thanks to his Byakugan, and Naruto who was using the Silent Killing to 'feel' his way through the mist, met up on the opposite side of the room as far from Nadare as they could.

Neji kept watch as he asked, "Plan Taicho?"

Naruto smirked, "You distract with your loud ass sabre sword, since he's a Jonin he'll be able to dodge. At least until I take him down a notch."

Neji frowned, "Do you think that such a simple plan will work on a Jonin?"

Naruto's smirk widened into a grin, "These ninjas rely on that armour too much, he'll be over confident and expect that we are just as disadvantaged as him. So fight clumsily but be careful." Naruto explained as he made a wood clone from just his chakra.

Naruto passed his sword to the clone and it disappeared into the mist, "Well? What are you waiting for? That clone will need help with that distraction."

Neji nodded and sprinted straight at Nadare and activated his sword, making him visible in the mist as the large yellow glow.

The Naruto Clone yelled loudly as he swung, making it easy for Nadare to dodge the attack. "Ha! This mist is worthless if I can see and hear you!" Nadare yelled as he kicked out at the Naruto clone, which Neji blocked with his blade.

The electricity shot through Nadare's body, launching him back towards the wall.

Nadare impacted the wall with a thud and a yell of pain, he looked up in time to dodge the Clone's next swing.

Nadare cursed as he came to a decision, 'This'll be risky, but if it works I've won against these damn brats instantly.' He thought as he turned and ran up the wall with his chakra.

Nadare turned and formed hand seals that he hadn't formed in many years since first learning to manipulate ice and water, "WATER STYLE: CONDENSATION!"

The mist became water and fell to the ground, giving Nadare a clear view of Neji and 'Naruto', "Now what brats? I'll kill you easily." He said as he stood tall, about to drop down at them.

"That's what you think."

Nadare's eyes widened as he spun around, "UNIVERSE!" Naruto yelled as his enormous chakra powered strength slammed into Nadare's shield with enough pressure to launch him at Neji at nearly untraceable speeds.

Neji merely stood with his sword raised as Nadare was sliced clean in half on the Lightning blade.

The clone threw Naruto's sword up to him and dissipated into a log as Neji turned to the real Naruto, "We're close to landing, and Dotou has Koyuki on the exit deck." He informed as Naruto re-sheathed his blade and dropped to the floor.

Naruto stood with a smirk, "You go directly there. I'll go up and take out anyone until I'm up the top. After all, it's the necklace he wants." Naruto said as he flew up and Neji began running towards the final opponent.

#####################

Sasuke hung from the bottom of the air ship using chakra through his hands, "Why did I think this was a good idea?" he muttered to himself as the ship lowered closer to the ground.

Sasuke saw Dotou fly off the front of the ship with Koyuki in his grasp just as the ship began it's final decent. "That's my queue."

Sasuke stabbed the blade of his weapon into the ship and let it unravel as he held the other end, in moments he was being dragged through the air behind the ship as he used chakra to stick his feet to his new board. 'Any moment now.' He thought as he tried to see through the snow that was battering his face.

The ship began to slow, thus Sasuke began to fall. He used the momentum to swing at a ridiculous speed that he even had to activate his Sharingan just to see the ground level clearly.

Just past the halfway point of his swing, Sasuke pulse his chakra through the chain of his weapon, thus resealing his blade back into the chain and releasing him from the ship. He hit the ground at near Mach speeds and quickly took over the ship on his way to catch up to the Princess and her captor. "I'm so keeping this!" he shouted as he boarded across the snow and ice in a blur.

****BOOOOOM****

Sasuke's eyes widened and he looked back as the air ship exploded, the shockwave hit him and he was further propelled by the massive force as large chunks of steel slammed into the ground behind him.

##################################

"AIR STOMP!"

Naruto kicked the last swordsman through the glass in the roof and he flew up into the clear air, looking back down, he smirked as he finally got a good view of Dotou and Koyuki fleeing towards the center of the large field, "You won't get away so easily!" he proclaimed as he shot forwards at mach speeds, only to look behind him as he felt a chakra pulse.

****BOOOOOM****

##################################

"Stupid idea, stupid idea!" Neji chanted as he placed the last of twenty explosive tags on the inside of the flight deck.

"Stop Neji, just stop." He muttered before grabbing a thick sheet of steel and holding it to his back as he sat on the outdoor railing facing where Dotou just ran from him to.

Neji looked down and saw Sasuke zoom out from under the airship, he then glanced up to see Naruto flying through the air. "It's the only way I'll keep up…shit!" he said as he closed his eyes and pulsed his chakra.

****BOOOOOM****

The explosion shot the piece of steel he was against forwards faster than he could've ever imagined, even with his eyes closed, he could see thanks to his Byakugan as he caught up to Sasuke and Naruto and barely overtook them before he had to leap into the air himself as the plate of steel dug into the ground.

He opened his eyes as he jumped and flailed in mid-air as he entered the large field and began falling to the ground again.

His Byakugan saw Sasuke speeding up behind him and Naruto almost above him. He raised his arm and grasped Naruto's arm in a monkey grip as the three came to a sudden but safe stop thirty or so meters from Dotou and his prisoner, just as the fire in the airship hit it's engine and was blown completely into non-existence.

Neji was breathing heavily as he de-activated his Byakugan, Naruto chuckled, "Damn Neji, what a way to show us up." He said.

Sasuke kicked up his board and sealed it into one of his capsules, "Thanks for the speed boost. Now how are we gonna take this guy down without harming Koyuki?"

Naruto grinned and took a step forward as Dotou held a kunai to the princess' throat, "Don't come any closer or she dies!" he yelled.

The three froze and Naruto smirked before lifting the necklace out of his pocket, "But Dotou-chan, isn't this what you really want?" he asked as he waved the Hex Crystal in the air.

Dotou smirked, "Yes, and you will hand it over or I will kill her!"

Naruto frowned before Sasuke stepped forward and wrenched the necklace from his grasp, "You want it? Go get it!" Sasuke yelled as he threw the necklace over Dotou and to the opposite side of the well.

Dotou threw Koyuki to the ground and immediately set after the necklace, letting the three squad members surround Koyuki and the well in a protective circle.

Princess Koyuki let out a sigh of relief, "I'm sorry Naruto, I tried to stop him but his armour stopped my stab from being effective. Please! You have to defeat him or we'll never be free!" she begged.

Naruto glanced over his shoulder at Koyuki as Dotou picked up the necklace, "You actually want this country's freedom? You believe it's possible?" he asked sceptically.

Koyuki nodded as she stood up, "I believe in my people, and I believe in you." She said with the first real tear in her eyes that she's cried in years.

Naruto smirked, as did his teammates, "Well I guess we'll have to beat him then, can't let the beliefs of a Princess be shattered now can we?" he asked as Neji and Sasuke stood by his side.

Sasuke and Neji nodded, "That we can't Otouto."

Neji took a defensive stance as Dotou turned to them again, "Plan Taicho?"

Naruto looked to his brother, "You're the analyser. Plan?"

Sasuke's Sharingan spun as he analysed Dotou's armour, "His armour is more advanced than the others, but we should be able to break it the way I broke that other ninja's. Considering he's the mastermind behind the advanced technology in this country, I think you should absorb him." Sasuke explained.

Naruto nodded as Neji raised a brow in confusion at the 'absorb' comment, "Alright, Neji protect Koyuki and prevent Dotou from getting that crystal near the well. Aniki, it's time to show our combination moves." He said with a smirk.

Sasuke mirrored the smirk as Dotou yelled out in victory, "Move aside before I kill you brats! Now that I have the crystal, nothing can stop me!"

Sasuke began forming seals as Naruto drew Dotou's attention, "FUCK YOU DOTOU! THE ONLY WAY YOU'VE ACHIEVED ANYTHING IN YOUR LIFE IS THROUGH YOUR BROTHER! YOU'RE A PIECE OF DOG SHIIT!" Naruto screamed with a cocky smirk in an attempt to anger his opponent.

Dotou bristled with rage and placed the crystal in his pocket before pulling his fist back, "ICE STYLE: TWIN BLACK DRAGON JUTSU!"

Two pitch black ice dragons spewed from his fists as Sasuke finished his seals and Naruto raised his palms.

"FIRE STYLE: DRAGON FLAME JUTSU!"

"DECAPITATING AIRWAVES!"

"COMBINATION: DRAGON FLAME BLADES!"

The flaming blades of superhot fire collided with the ice dragons and caused a large explosion that destroyed both overpowered attacks.

Dotou appeared from the smoke, using his wings to fly directly at them at high speeds, he punched forward again, releasing another dragon.

"BLACK DRAGON JUTSU!"

Naruto began spinning as he flew headlong at the dragon while Sasuke spat a fireball.

"FIREBALL JUTSU!"

"WIND STYLE: TSUUGA!"

"COMBINATION: FLAMING CLAWS WHIRLWIND!"

The fire enveloped Naruto and made a flaming whirlwind around him, allowing him to cut through the dragon and slam into Dotou's chakra shield, making a tiny crack in the process.

Even though the shield prevented any damage from being taken directly, the blow still knocked him away before the whirlwind sucked him back towards Naruto.

Naruto stopped spinning and appeared from the flames holding a seal, "WATER STYLE: GIANT VORTEX JUTSU!" he yelled as the snow behind him became water and exploded towards Dotou at the same time Sasuke leapt into the air.

"LIGHTNING STYLE: SHOCKWAVE!"

"COMBINATION: STORM VORTEX!"

Dotou looked up and crossed his arms over his head while adding extra chakra to his shield, the electrified glowing water vortex slammed into Dotou's shield and enlarged the crack to the size of a kunai.

As Dotou was covered in steam and smoke, Naruto held out his hand and Sasuke placed his own over Naruto's, their palms facing each other.

The two focussed their chakras for their finisher move as Dotou became visible again, holding both arms back as he glared at Naruto and Sasuke.

"ULTIMATE BLACK DRAGON JUTSU!" Dotou shouted as he poured more than half of his chakra into making a massive version of the earlier ice dragons.

"RASENGAN!"

"CHIDORI!"

Naruto stepped away as Sasuke held the combination jutsu in check with the chakra control seal on the back of his arm.

The two yelled, "RASENDORI! SPINNING LIGHTNING FIST!"

Sasuke ran forward with the attack and slammed it into the dragon's face, splattering it instantly as he cut through the whole body of the attack in a single thrust.

Dotou's eyes widened as the attack obliterated his chakra shield and destroyed his armour, blowing up half a millimetre from Dotou's bare skin.

**BOOOM**

Dotou coughed up blood as he was launched backwards in an electrocuted fast spin, straight towards a waiting Naruto's right hand.

"NINJA ART: SOUL DRAIN!"

Naruto caught the back of Dotou's head and his body was completely sucked into Naruto's mind, his clothes falling to the ground below him.

Naruto fell to the ground and was panting lightly as Sasuke fell down next to him, breathing extremely heavily in comparison.

The two sat in silence for a moment before Sasuke spoke, "Y'know, we just defeated the strongest ninja in snow country. We defeated their Kage."

Naruto chuckled a few times before bursting into laughter, "Yeah we did! HAHAHA!"

Sasuke chuckled twice before falling onto his back, "Otouto, I'm running low on chakra. Little help?" he asked as he continued panting heavily.

Naruto climbed to his feet and went to pull Sasuke up when Koyuki and Neji finally arrived, "Y-You did it!" Koyuki cheered as she hugged Naruto since he was the one standing.

Naruto grinned and hugged her back, "It's cause you believed in us Princess." He said with a smirk.

Neji picked up the Hex Crystal and then helped Sasuke to his feet, "Koyuki-hime, I believe this belongs to you." He said as he held the crystal out to the Princess.

She let go of Naruto and watched in awe as Neji passed her the necklace back, "Thank you, thank you all." She said as tears began to flow from her eyes again.

Naruto patted her shoulder, "How bout we go see what Dotou wanted with that crystal?" he suggested.

Koyuki nodded and began walking back towards the well as she explained what the rumour was, "It's a key, apparently my father…but the treasure isn't money or anything like that as far as I know." She finished as the four arrived at the well.

She placed the Hex Crystal into the hole in the well and it opened, the snow surrounding them suddenly began to melt at an incredible pace as a giant recording of Koyuki as a child began playing.

Koyuki cried with a smile on her face as the scene ended, 'A Princess and an Actress?' she thought with a smile, 'Dad, you finally brought spring to the Land of Snow.'

Off to the side, cameras with zoom lenses were focussed on the display and a man held the recently recovered black box from the airship containing video and audio of all that happened on the ship.

"AAAND CUT!"

#####################################

Chapter end.

Please Continue to Read and Review! Tell me what you think! J


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter Thirty: The Triad alliance. Orochimaru's offer.

"Thank you for joining us Lady Tsunade, Lord Tsuchikage." The head of the sand village council said.

Tsunade nodded with a soft smile, "It's my first cross country invitation as Hokage, I can't refuse that."

Onoki nodded before stretching, "It's my pleasure, but seriously do you have any chairs that are more supportive? My back isn't quite what it used to be." He said with an aged frown.

With a nod, Baki-the council spokesman-signalled for a nearby Chunnin, who seconds later, carried a large squishier chair in.

"Oooooh, this is fantastic." Onoki said as he sunk into the soft cushioning.

Baki smiled lightly, "Do you mind if I inform you of the reason we asked you here now?" he asked a little nervously.

Onoki stopped fidgeting and became serious, as did Tsunade, "Go ahead." Onoki said.

"As a way to make up for our attack on the leaf village, and threatening the stone ninjas present, we wish to form an alliance with your two villages in hopes of strengthening our bonds and strengths." Baki said.

Onoki sat in silence with a frown, '…I could completely screw them over right now. And considering what they did it would only be fair…although accepting means I would be able to purchase some of these nice cushions.' He thought as he weighed the most important pros and cons.

"I agree with the sand council."

Onoki stared at Tsunade in shock, "Princess, you could be asking for much more than this for compensation! Why are you settling for an alliance from people you could wipe out?!" he asked, not seeing the point of allying with a weak village like the sand.

She looked at Onoki, "The reason they attacked was because of Orochimaru. I understand what can happen when he's the one manipulating you." She then faced the sand council, "I am one-hundred percent behind the idea of our three villages joining together in an alliance."

Baki bowed, "Thank you Tsunade-sama." He then turned to the Tsuchikage, "If you would like Tsuchikage-sama, think about our deal over night. Although we would like the answer as soon as possible, we don't want to force your hand into anything."

Onoki sat frowning, 'Realistically, this is actually a top notch idea. Also, being on the same team as the leaf ensures that I can't lose any wars in the near future…' he thought.

"May I suggest something?"

Onoki and Baki turned to the slightly smirking Tsunade, "Of course Slug Princess." Onoki said.

Tsunade pulled out a scroll from her cloak and stood up, walking over to the large table in the center of the room, she unravelled it. "I assumed someone would suggest we unite in this way, and even if you didn't I would have." She gestured to the scroll, "In front of me is the contract for 'The Triad Alliance', the formation of Sand, Stone and Leaf as a single unit. With this contract, we have a year to make it permanent and a symbol of trust for as long as the village or chosen ninjas feel that it is needed." She explained.

Onoki floated over and began reading the scroll as did Baki, 'The Triad Alliance…'

###########################

"Mission accomplished Sarutobi-sama."

Hiruzen smiled up at Kakashi, Sasuke, Naruto and Neji. "Good work the four of you, did anything of importance come up? Or should I wait for the written report.

Kakashi eye-smiled, "Oh not much, though I think these three have some things to talk to you about." He said with a gesture to the two Chuunin and single gennin, "I'll go start on the mission report." Poof.

Hiruzen raised a brow at Kakashi's behaviour, "Well then, what is it you need to talk to me about?"

The three looked at each other before Naruto and Sasuke pointedly looked at Neji, who sighed and took a step forward. "It was not the B-rank mission you thought it was Sandaime-sama. The actress, Miss Yukie, turned out to be the missing Princess Koyuki Kazahana of the Land of Snow. In short, we ended the reign of the evil Lord of the Land of Snow, re-instated Koyuki-hime, created two top class movies, saved a nation and finally, changed nature itself." He explained calmly before bowing and stepping back in line with Sasuke and Naruto.

Hiruzen blinked at the three, "Nature itself?" he muttered as he tried to process what Neji was telling him.

Naruto nodded, "The Land of Snow is no more. There is now only the Land of Spring."

Hiruzen blinked again before sighing, "…..i think I'll wait for the mission report." He said.

Sasuke smirked as he took a step forward and threw down one of his sealing capsules, in a poof of smoke, a small television set and VCR appeared on a stand, "If you would like to watch the copied footage we obtained, it is mostly explanation enough. May I keep this snowboard Hiruzen-sama?" Sasuke asked.

Hiruzen nodded dumbly as he stared at the television, "Umm, anything else?" he asked, not quite sure what to say.

Naruto raised his arm, "Naruto and I defeated the Kage of the Land of Snow, and I absorbed him."

Hiruzen just stared, "…..you may leave." He said.

The three bowed and walked out, the moment the door closed, Hiruzen rolled over to the television see and plugged it in to a socket on the wall, "Homura! Koharu! Come watch this with me!"

################################

_Two days later_

##############################

"Are you sure Sasuke-kun? These are the houses of your family." Kin asked as she looked up at Sasuke, who was standing on the wall of the Uchiha district.

He looked up from the large piece of paper he was holding, "Thank you for worrying Kin-chan, but I know what I'm doing. I can't have over three hundred empty houses while knowing there are homeless people in this village." He said as he spun on his levitating board and hopped off the wall down to the ground.

Sakura smiled, "I'm just glad you guys are back, it IS your district Sasuke, so you can do whatever you like." She said with an agreeing grin.

Sasuke rolled up the paper in his hands, "I think my designs are done. I will be right back, I need to go find a suitable builder and whatever else I need." He said before kissing each wife-to-be on the cheek and pushing chakra into his propulsion seal, he then began to skate through the village in thought, 'Who exactly do I need to talk to anyway? Contractors? Carpenters?' He shrugged as he sped up on his new seal based hover board to look around town.

Sasuke arrived in the business district and looked around '…..I have no idea what to look for.' He realised.

He noticed a basic tourist centre and nodded, 'better place to start than anything.'

###############################

"Welcome back Tsunade-sama!" the two eternal gate guards said with a bow.

She smiled, "Thank you Izumo, Kotetsu. Can I see the entrance logs?"

Kotetsu passed the most recent one to her, "If you're looking for your grandson, he entered the gates with his team about two hours after you left for the sand."

Tsunade smiled, "Thanks again. Work hard." She said as she began leaping through the village, her Hokage cloak billowing behind her.

###########################

Naruto stood in front of his desk, 'Almost finished.' He thought as he looked over the blueprints he drew out.

He placed the sheet in front of him on a pile with three others, "Kunai cannons, Chakra armour, Trains and the mechanical body part techniques." He said out loud as he looked over his completed blue prints, "This will keep the village busy for a long time. And this will need multiple companies working on it so no one loses out." He said with a smirk.

Naruto flew out of his window and smiled as he saw a large group of men walking behind Sasuke towards the Uchiha district, 'Looks like the new Uchiha clan district is gonna be started soon.' He thought before glancing in the general direction of the gate.

He blinked as he saw Tsunade's cloak billowing as she hopped towards him, "Baa-chan." He mumbled with a smile before flying down to meet her.

She stopped as Naruto closed in, he landed in front of her with a smile, "Hi Baa-chan, how was the big meeting?" he asked with an oddly mature smile on his face.

Tsunade grinned, "Exactly like I wanted it to be. You guys still willing to put up the ninjas that will come here for the exchange?" she asked.

Naruto nodded, "Sure thing, I think we'll be moving everyone around into a few different houses since the girls got permission to move in with us." He frowned a little, "Though it won't be the same with Kakashi-Ouji and Anko moving in together." He said.

Tsunade patted his shoulder, "It's not like he's moving far, it'll just be one of the new flats Sasuke is constructing right?" she asked.

Naruto nodded, "Yeah I know, I've just gotten used to it that's all." He said before remembering his blueprints.

"Oh baa-chan!" he said as he held out the large sheets of paper for her, "I finished the blueprints from Dotou's memories. I don't think we have the materials for the armour but with the new alliance with stone, it won't be hard to get much of it if we agree to share the armour with them right?"

Tsunade nodded, "Though I'm not too sure I want to share our newest asset with them straight away." She muttered out loud.

Naruto showed one of the sheets he was holding with a smirk, "That's why I made these blueprints as well. This armour will be weaker than our own and then when you can finally trust them, we sell them the same as ours as an 'upgrade.' What do you think?"

Tsunade blinked before smiling, "Naruto, you're a genius." She said as she took the blueprints from him, "I'll get this taken care of at the Hokage tower."

Tsunade waved as she leapt away, Naruto then turned to the Hyuuga compound, "Hinata-chan should be out training at the moment…I guess I'll go check on Ten-chan then." He said with a smile before flying towards her home.

He hovered in line with her windowsill and reached out to knock, he suddenly stopped as he saw movement inside her room.

Naruto raised his arm to shade the sunlight from glaring into his eyes, only for them to widen at what he could see.

Tenten stood in a towel, clearly having just gotten out of the shower, he stared absolutely mesmerised by her as he watched her brush out her long hair wrapped in only a towel.

He stared for a few moments before common sense came back to him and he quickly flew up to the roof and sat on the ledge.

Naruto blinked as he thought about what he saw, "Holy Log, I knew she was pretty…no way, she's beautiful." He muttered.

We waited a few minutes to calm down before sticking his head down the chimney pipe as per his usual greeting, "TEN-CHAAAAN!"

Not a minute later, Tenten opened the rooftop door and smiled, "Hey Naruto-kun! How are you?" she asked as she ran up and gave him a hug.

Naruto smiled softly, "Fantastic now that you're here, I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to pick up some picnic supplies? I was thinking that we could meet up with Hinata-chan for lunch since her team training is almost over."

Tenten grinned widely, "That sounds great! You'll finally have to tell me all about the mission to snow country!" she exclaimed as she stepped away and began running towards the edge of the building and leapt towards the shopping district.

Naruto easily flew behind her, and between jumps, he flew under her and sneakily caught her in a piggyback position, "EEP!" Tenten squealed in shock before the two shot up into the air, enjoying their time together before buying the picnic stuff.

############################

"Please take these to the intelligence unit and have them double check everything and find the best ways to get all the needed materials."

"Hai Hokage-sama."

The Anbu shunshined off to deliver the blueprints while Tsunade leant back and stretched, "Now, who should I send to which villages?" she thought as she began looking over folders on the gennin and Chunnin of the hidden leaf.

Tsunade sighed, 'How am I supposed to choose?' she thought.

"I think you should make it public and see if anyone requests being part in it."

Tsunade smiled as she span in her chair, "Hey Jiraiya, what've you been up to?" she asked.

Jiraiya climbed in the open window and sat in a chair while placing his feet on the Hokage's desk, "Just hanging around, I checked up on a lot of the 'Konoha twelve' as they're getting called. I must say they are quite amazingly strong." He said with a smirk.

Tsunade's eyes narrowed, "So you weren't…._researching_?" she asked.

Jiraiya's smirk grew into a large grin, "Oh? I thought I made myself clear last time?" he said as he stood and walked around to her, he knelt down and took her hand in his, "when I have a specimen as amazing as you, nothing can compare. I have all the inspiration I need." He said as he kissed each of her knuckles.

She blushed lightly and she smiled, as she pulled him to his feet, "Thank you Jiraiya-kun." She said.

Jiraiya grinned, "Nothin but the truth Hime," he glanced at the files on her desk, "Why not try my idea? It might work out better then imagined." He reminded.

Tsunade nodded, "I think I will, who do you think will give it a go?" she asked as she sat back down and began writing out the letter that was to be delivered to every gennin and first year Chunnin.

Jiraiya smirked, "Shikamaru will want to go to the sand." He said, one hundred percent positive.

Tsunade raised a brow, "What makes you so sure?"

Jiraiya laughed before grinning and wiggling his eyebrow, "Call it a hermits intuition, something is goin on with that Temari girl. I just know it." he said with a perverted chuckle.

Tsunade smiled lightly as she finished the notice, "We'll see." She said before stamping the Hokage's seal on the bottom of the notice.

############################

*Ding-a-ling*

"Hello, how may i- oh Sasuke-sama!"

Sasuke suppressed a sigh at that, "I want to put a portion of my district on the market."

The sales attendant's brows shot up, "R-Really? You want to sell some of the Uchiha district?"

He nodded, "Yes. I would like to know what kind of information I need to get from the legal owner before I can make the houses liveable."

"Alright, let me go get a copy of what paperwork will need to be filled out. If you take it to Dan-sama he'll set up the deal." He said before briskly walking to the back and looking over a large group of shelving.

Sasuke blinked, 'Dan-_sama_?' he thought.

Within moments, the attendant was back, "Here are the three forms we'll need filled out before we can get started, is there anything else I can do for you?"

Sasuke shook his head, "No." he muttered as he turned and left.

Two minutes later, Sasuke skated up to the door of Dan's shop, "I haven't been here in a while." Sasuke muttered as he opened the door.

*Dina-a-ling*

"Welcome to- oh Sasuke! How are ya buddy?" Dan said as he looked up from some paperwork he was doing.

Sasuke smiled a little, "I have been very well Higurashi-san. Would you help me sell some of the houses in my family district?"

Dan blinked in shock, "Huh? Your gonna sell it?"

"Just some of it."

Dan sighed and waved Sasuke over while grabbing a stool for him, "How much is 'some' exactly?" he asked as Sasuke sat.

Sasuke handed him the sheets, "I want to sell the entire outer portion of the district so that the only remaining buildings are those inside the inner wall. That will leave me with twenty-two houses. Four of which I'll be knocking down to build apartment blocks similar to the ninja barracks." He explained as he unsealed and revealed his plans and placed them on the table.

Dan nodded with wide eyes, "I see you've thought this through very thoroughly. But you don't need my permission for reconstruction, you only need it if you're planning on selling."

Sasuke nodded with a smirk, "That's why I have two construction crews over there working on the apartments and the inner wall right now."

Dan laughed, "Wow so you're really going through with this, so what're these blue and green areas?" Dan asked as he pointed to an area along the inner wall and on the eastern most part of the outer district.

"I'll be constructing this area," he pointed to the green highlighted buildings near the inner walls, "Into a local shopping district, I already have a noodle hut, a dango bar, two cafes, a restaurant and a mini-mart who want to buy each building. There'll be room to grow the market as well."

Dan nodded in appreciation as Sasuke moved and pointed to the blue area, "Now, these buildings i'll be selling to the Village itself as housing for those who are homeless and in difficult times."

Dan looked at Sasuke in shock, "You're making a homeless shelter?"

Sasuke nodded, "It's not fair that there are some people who have lost their family like I have, but at least I had a home and money to fall back on. These people have nothing." He said with a sad look in his eye.

Dan nodded, "I understand," he said as he gathered the papers, "I'll fill in these and they'll be done by this afternoon."

Sasuke stood, "Thankyou Higurashi-san. But I have one more question."

Dan grinned, "Sure kid, what's up?"

Sasuke glanced around the shop, "I was wondering if you wanted to move into the district as well? There's a great spot to set up your shop in my new market and this way you won't have to pay home expenses as well." Sasuke asked, trying to act casual even though he was a little embarrassed.

Dan's grin grew, "That would be GREAT!" he announced with one of his booming laughs, "So when do you want me to set up shop?" he asked as he set the papers back on his desk.

Sasuke smirked happily, "I'd say everything will be set in a month, the apartment blocks are apparently easy to set up with the earth users the construction crew has on staff, same with the wall." He bowed deeply, "It would be my pleasure to host you Dan-sama." He said with a side of sarcasm.

Dan waved him off with a frown, "Don't you start that too. Now that I'm a sit in for your clan everyone is treating me like I'm some kind of royalty." He said with a sigh.

Sasuke smirked, "Do you mind doing me another favour? As a customer this time."

Dan grinned and his eyes became $$, "Something I can help with?"

Sasuke unsealed the combat umbrella he got from Aoi, "I want you to see if you could trick this out in anyway, I don't need it anytime soon so feel free to take your time," he then pointed to two flat surfaces on the inner pole, "But I need these to stay the same, I have a plan for those." He said as he handed it over with a smirk.

Dan appraised, "A rain village standard, these things are pretty useful. I'll see what I can do." He said with an appreciative grin.

Sasuke bowed before turning to leave, as he got to the door, Dan called out again, "Oh Sasuke! One more thing," Sasuke turned, "Do you want to send Sakura over to pick your things up in a couple of days? I think I may have another possible upgrade for Radical Good Speed, but I need her chakra to activate it." he asked.

Sasuke nodded, "Sounds fine to me, thanks again Higurashi-san." He said as he walked out.

########################

"Woah, I didn't know that Hina-chan can do THAT!" Naruto said as he and Tenten watched Team 8 from a tree.

Shino and Hinata were mirroring each other's movements, as Shino moved a swarm of bugs followed each step as a fierce strike. Hinata stood on water, and with each step her chakra moved the water she stood on into a fast yet flowing movement.

Tenten nodded, "It looks almost like she's dragging chakra strings through the water, but the water is following afterwards as well."

Kurenai who stood off to the side, "Second stages!" she yelled.

The two hesitated for a moment before Shino's steps became more solid, pieces of stone began to follow his movements as well as the bugs.

Hinata's movements where now twice the speed of Shino's and the water wasn't just moving after her, now it was moving with her and much more fluent.

Naruto stared in shock while Tenten blinked, 'Woah, Hinata-chan's control over her water chakra is astounding.' She thought.

'Maybe I could show Hina-chan some of those water jutsus from the scroll Shikamaru got me.' Naruto thought as he remembered the 'Uzumaki Elemental Scrolls' Shikamaru found on the mission to the Lost Ninja Market.

Kurenai yelled out, "Final stages!"

The two hesitated for a moment before lightening suddenly accompanied Hinata's water movements, shooting off of each joint with every strike. Shino's stomps began to raise sections of the earth and each time he kicked at them, they would shoot off.

Tenten and Naruto stared at the two in awe, until Shino apparently lost some focus and one of the stones he kicked exploded in his face.

The explosion caused Hinata to lose focus, accidentily sending her lightning chakra into the water and shocking herself and launching herself as Shino.

Kurenai appeared between the two and caught them, "You both managed to last so long on the third step! I'm so proud!" she said as she sat the two gennin down.

They were both panting heavily and Hinata was the first to speak, "B-but we failed again." She said sadly.

Kurenai sighed, "You forget, this was a yearlong plan. You guys are already on the last stage after only two months."

It was at this time Naruto and Tenten jumped into the clearing, "Hey guys! What was that training?" Naruto asked with a smile.

Shino and Naruto on looked up as Kurenai spoke, "I'm teaching them about elemental affinities. These two have such amazing control that they both managed to learn their first affinities nearly instantly."

Tenten raised a brow, "First?"

Hinata nodded as her and Shino climbed to their feet shakily, "I have both water and lightening affinities, and Shino's clan naturally have an insect related one. He's nearly mastered pure earth manipulation." She explained.

Naruto smiled, "That's amazing!" he exclaimed.

Shino stared at him pointedly, "Taicho, you have mastered wind, water, earth and wood chakras." He pointed out.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Yeah well, I had a lot of help."

Kurenai stared at Naruto, "Wood? How can you use wood techniques?"

Naruto smirked before closing his eyes and focussing his chakra, "Wood style: Outdoor Dining."

Seats suddenly grew from the ground and lifted them into a setup as Naruto held out the picnic basket in front of him, setting it down on the wooden table that grew as well. "Like I said before, I had a lot of help." Naruto said with a smirk as he laid the picnic mat over the table, "How about an early lunch guys?"

Kurenai looked at the setup in awe, 'This is amazing, I have to ask Tsunade-sama about this.' She thought.

Tenten and Hinata helped Naruto set up the materials while Shino asked, "Naruto-taicho, I was curious about a certain skill of yours."

Naruto nodded, "Go ahead and ask, I'll do my best to answer."

Shino adjusted his glasses and thanked Hinata when she passed him a plate before continuing, "I heard that you were able to help Sakura master her earth chakra in a matter of hours. I think it logical to ask if you could try helping me master it as well since Kurenai-sensei is fire natured and more Genjutsu focussed."

Naruto smiled, "Sure thing, actually this might fit well with something us from Squad seven has been planning." He said as he clapped his hands together, followed by everyone else.

"Itadakimasu!"

_The Next Day_

################################

"So you guys are interested in the exchange program?" Tsunade asked with a raised brow to the five men and one woman in front of her.

The group nodded, "Well, I honestly wasn't sure if anyone would call for this…I guess I have to do interviews or something." She muttered and looked up to her left, "What do you think Jiraiya?"

The sage shrugged, "Sounds good to me, but one thing. Didn't the agreement specify gennin or young chunnin?" Tsunade nodded in response, "Then Gai and Asuma should leave."

Asuma sighed before shrugging, "O well, worth a try I guess. I really wanted to learn some new wind jutsus." He muttered before bowing and walking out.

Tsunade raised a brow at Gai, who just stood smiling, "You can leave now Gai."

He gave a thumbs up with a pose, "Alas I cannot, you see I am filled with as much youth as anybody here so it is my right to go the stone village and climb every peak there!" he said with a sparkling grin.

Tsunade just blinked, "Gai…. just go." She said with a frown.

Gai suddenly fell to his knees, childish tears pouring from is eyes, "PLEASE TSUNADE-SAMA I NEED TO DO THIS SO THAT I CAN FINALLY BEAT MY ETERNAL RIVAL IN THE NUMBER OF COUNTRIES TRAVERSED IN A MISSION! MY YOUTH DEPENDS ON IT!"

Tsunade's frown turned to a glare, "Gai, you have five seconds before I challenge you to a strength contest."

Gai, obviously not the smartest person around, suddenly appeared next to Tsunade in an arm-wrestle position, "How about it then Tsunade-sama! If I win I get to go, if you win I will run around the village on my left pinky finger five times, and if I can't do that! I'll do D-rank missions for a month and if I fail any of those missions I will teach each senior academy class Taijutsu for their final sixth months and if I-"

"All right Gai just shut up!" she said with an inner grin, 'Taijutsu classes for the academy with the legendary green beast? This'll make the next generation speed demons.' She thought as she got into an arm wrestling position opposite Gai.

The two clasped hands, "Three, two, one."

*BOOM*

Tsunade flipped Gai over and out of her office through the wall, launching him out across the village.

She sighed and turned back to the others, "Alright, each of you leave except Chunnin Mimi. You'll be up first."

#####

"Next."

"Chunnin Shikamaru, I would like to transfer to the Sand village."

Tsunade looked up at her third interviewee, "And why is that?"

He pulled out a scroll and placed it in front of the Hokage, she opened it as he began to speak, "From the Scroll retrieval mission, I heard of a second 'shadow using' clan called the Botchatsu. I looked over all the information our village has on the clan and all I've found is that they were darkness users that resided in the land of wind. I have a…contact in the hidden Sand which has confirmed that the clan still exists, but they do not live in the village. Instead they hide out in the 'Shadows of the Desert'. If I can find this place, I may be able to learn more from them about how to expand the use of shadows." Shika explained.

Tsunade had read over Shika's research and not only was it a top notch idea, she had heard his hesitation over his 'contact', "Tell me, who is this 'contact' of yours? They must be someone important to be able to get clan related information." She asked with a raised brow.

Shika twitched, "Temari-cha..Temari-san." He said, annoyed that he almost let the 'chan' slip out.

Tsunade hid her grin, 'So, the genius is in love, Jiraiya was right…well his other reason is important as well. I guess I can let him go.' "Thanks Shikamaru, please wait outside."

#####

"Next."

"Gennin Shino Aburame, it would be logical for me to be the person who is transferred to the Stone Village."

Tsunade nodded at her final interviewee's assessment, "Reason?"

"The Aburame clan have a brother clan of bug users that focus not on chakra, but on the physical body itself. In the past, the two clans have been rivals of the highest degree. With the help of the Triad Alliance, this is the most logical time to reach out and try to make a connection between the two hives and hopefully fuse them into becoming a hive that can achieve much more than previously thought of." Shino explained.

Tsunade nodded, "Hmm, don't you think I should make a mission specifically for that? And send a higher up of the clan?"

Shino shook his head, "That would be illogical as it would infer that the Aburame clan would only join because the Hokage ordered them to. We want to build our own bond with them."

"You are one of the only two people who want to go to the Stone village. And you're the only one that actually has a reason that makes sense." Tsunade said with a nod thinking of Gai's 'interview'.

Shino bowed, "Thank you Tsunade-sama. Would you like me to retrieve the other applicants?" he inquired.

Tsunade nodded, "Yes thanks Shino, I will inform everyone of the results when you are all here."

Shino nodded before getting the other applicants, and Tsunade shared the news of the two ninjas who would be leaving for another country for the next couple of years…

##################################

_The Next Day…Late Afternoon_

##################################

"State your name and business." Kotetsu said while looking at the brown hooded person in front of him.

The person pulled their hood back, revealing the smiling face of a familiar swordsman, "I am Pikkon, I was chosen by the Hidden Stone to be the representative for the alliance in the Leaf village." He said with a bow.

Izumo grinned, "Welcome to the village kid, want me to take you to the Hokage's office?" he offered.

Pikkon went to agree before hesitating, "Umm, actually Tsuchikage-sama asked me to wait for the sand representative as well before heading up."

Kotetsu shrugged and got up off of his chair, grabbing another one and unfolding it he replied, "C'mon then, have a seat and tell us a bit about yourself."

Pikkon nodded with a smile, 'Thanks for letting me come here Tsuchikage-sama."

##################################

_A few hours later…_

##################################

"HAHAHAHA for real?!" Kotetsu asked with a laugh as Izumo returned with drinks for the three of them.

"What's so funny?" he asked as he placed the drinks on the table.

Pikkon smirked, "I was just telling Kotetsu about the time my doofus of a teammate perved on our other teammate, I busted him and then she….well let's just say after she tied him up in his underwear, he discovered she had good aim and a lot of rotting eggs." He said with a chuckle.

Kotetsu finally calmed down enough to notice someone standing in front of their table, "Oh, sorry. How can we help you?"

The person's insomnia ridden eyes looked up at them and he smiled softly, "I am the representative of the Hidden Sand Village….."

#################################

"Thanks for coming to meet them you three."

"It's our honour Baa-chan." Naruto said with a bow alongside his teammates of Chunnin Squad Seven.

Sakura used the chance to speak up, "So do we know who the representatives are yet?"

Tsunade nodded, "Yes, I'm not entirely sure what the sand village was thinking with who they sent, but I've been told that both of them actually requested to be the ones to come."

*Knock-Knock*

Tsunade smiled, "Here they are now, Come in you two."

The door opened wide as did the eyes of Chunnin Squad Seven. "Pikkon? Gaara?" Naruto exclaimed with a smile.

Tsunade spoke before anyone else could, "Listen here, these two will be moving into the Uchiha district like you said they could Sasuke, has everyone else moved in yet? Are the houses set-up?" she asked.

Sasuke hesitated, "Umm, not exactly, but we still have the one spare room at the house, I will sleep on the couch and-"

"No no no," Sakura interrupted, "Kin-chan and I can share for now, one of you can have my room."

Gaara nodded, "Thank you Sakura-san. But I wish to meet with the family of Inuzuka Kiba." He said.

Tsunade stared at Gaara and for a moment saw a spark of regret in his absolutely blank expression, "I will organise it. But for now go and get settled in. Dismissed." She ordered with a wave of her arm.

################################

"This is the place." Naruto said with a smile as he hovered through the house, leading the two newcomers as Sasuke and Sakura went to take a look at the construction areas nearby.

Pikkon whistled, "Wow. Fancy digs." Pikkon said as he took off his bag and sat on the couch lifting his blades from his back and placed them on the table along with his feet.

Naruto smirked at Pikkon's behaviour while Gaara just looked around the room, "There's…..no sand." He noticed.

Naruto looked at his fellow Jinchuuriki and raised a brow, "Why would there be sand?"

Gaara just looked at Naruto for a moment, "….I would like sand." He explained blankly.

Naruto frowned for a moment before his face lit up, "I know! You can stay in Sakura's room, it looks over the lake in the middle of the district! That place is surrounded by sand." Naruto explained as he hovered up the stair well, Gaara following behind him.

The two paused in Sakura's room before Naruto pointed out the window, "It's just there, can you see it?"

Gaara nodded, "Thank you." He said before disappearing in a sand shunshin. Naruto glanced back at the lake to see Gaara standing on the sand, just looking at around calmly.

Naruto smiled softly, 'Aniki and Jiraiya will fix his seal, then he'll be alright.' He thought before heading downstairs to find Pikkon sprawled across the couch, snoring softly as he slept.

Naruto smirked, "Looks like everyone is comfy, it'll probably take them a few days to get settled." He then blinked as he suddenly remembered how Tsunade had asked: '….has everyone else moved in yet?'

He frowned, "Hold on, who is 'everyone else?'" he muttered before shrugging it off and heading out to Hinata's.

##########################

_The Next Day…Training Field_

##########################

"It's over! Sasuke wins!"

Naruto fell on his ass as did Sasuke, "Damn, that's not fair at all." Naruto panted.

Sasuke smirked, "You're the one who set the rules, I was just lucky."

Sakura jogged up to the two boys and sat down between them while Kakashi stood to the side, "I think it was a very interesting match. The only rule being that you can only use one technique you guys know." He said without looking up from his book.

Naruto huffed, "I should've chosen my wind funnels." He grumbled.

Sasuke's smirk grew and gestured to his eyes, "Admit it, as long as I have my Sharingan, my Taijutsu is better than yours."

Naruto smiled in return, "Yeah ok, but my Sword skills are much better than your kusawarigama skills!" he said as he hopped to his feet and whipped out his blade.

Sakon smirked and unravelled his kusa, "Remember Sakon, I made the seals for you, so I know how it works!" he said as he began spinning his chain above his head.

Sakura sighed as she understood where this was going, so she lay down just in time to avoid having her head cleaved off.

Naruto leapt forward and swung his sword over Sakura as Sasuke leapt up and threw his blade down with a shout of "ARTHURS SWORD!"

The chain soared through the hole in Naruto's blade and stabbed into the ground next to Sakura's chest, stopping Naruto's weapon instantly.

Naruto looked shocked before channelling his chakra to hopefully send out a burst of water in Sasuke's face, but Sasuke slammed a seal onto the blade, "SEALING ART: SEAL SHUTDOWN!"

To Naruto's shock, not a single drop of water flew from his blade and he looked up at his brother in awe only to see the weight of his weapon fly past his face and bury itself into the ground.

Naruto looked back at Sasuke and frowned, "Okay, so you are good with your weapon." Naruto mumbled before tilting his sword slightly, causing Sasuke to fall onto Sakura.

She laughed as Sasuke kissed her neck in apology before he looked at Naruto, his Sharingan spinning. "Look otouto, we both know where this is going and I swear to win this time. Ninjutsu?" Sasuke said as he leapt back and de-activated his Sharingan so that he couldn't steal his teammate's moves.

Sakura stopped her giggling and disappeared in a burst of speed, appearing next to the smoke cloud that was Kakashi re-appearing up against the outer line of the trees. "Sensei, you don't think they'll destroy the whole field again do you?" she asked.

Kakashi chuckled and put his book away, "We both know they will. But Naruto will fix it at the end." He said as he got settled but ready to jump in if the two get carried away.

Naruto ripped Sasuke's paper seal from his blade then began forming seals as did Sasuke:

"WOOD STYLE: FOREST DESTRUCTION!"

"FIRE STYLE: DRAGON FLAME BOMB!"

The two attacks collided and the wood stopped the fire's advance, but it was set alight at the same time. Just as the two brothers finished their next set and leapt into the air opposite each other.

"LIGHTENING STYLE: THUNDERBOLTS!"

"WIND STYLE: DECAPITATING AIR WAVES!"

The blades of wind and bolts of lightning clashed in midair causing massive discharges to spark around the training field.

As Sasuke fell to the ground, while Naruto hovered in midair and whipped out his blade swinging, "WATER STYLE: WATER DRAGON JUTSU!"

Sasuke formed hand signs in response, "UCHIHA FIRE STYLE: FLAME GRENADE!"

His small ball of fire shot into the mouth of the water dragon before exploding violently, destroying the dragon and causing a huge cloud of smoke.

Sasuke waited for the smoke to clear when his ninja sense tingled. He leapt to the side as Naruto burst from the ground with a swipe of his Hidden Bone Blade.

Sasuke spun and held up a seal, forming a small barrier that disintegrated the Bone Bullets that flew at his chest. He then raised his other hand up to his lips as he took a deep breath while Naruto's mouth bulged.

"FIRE STYLE: FLAMETHROWER!"

"EARTH STYLE: MUD WALL!"

The fire superheated the wall and it crumbled as Naruto suddenly broke through the wall in a spin.

"TSUUGA!"

Sasuke managed a substitution and disappeared as Naruto felt chakra enter his system.

Naruto closed his eyes since he couldn't de-activate the Genjutsu and relied on Akamaru's hearing and Zabuza's silent killing.

He began dodging invisible strikes before kicking out himself with his adamantine power, obliterating the fire clone and setting his pants leg on fire.

The fire distracted him long enough for Sasuke to launch at Naruto with a drop kick, only for Naruto's arm to splash into water and suddenly fall.

Sasuke felt a chakra build up behind him and spun while unsealing his combat umbrella.

"WATER STYLE: HYDRO PUMP!" Naruto yelled.

Sasuke smirked as he sent chakra into a seal on his weapon, changing his chakra to form the set jutsu he implanted for the first of his four new seals, "WIND STYLE: WIND SCYTHE JUTSU!"

Naruto's eyes widened as his burst of water was slashed in half by the large singular wind blade, 'So that's what he was doing, since he can't use wind jutsu to well, he made something that does it for him.' Naruto thought as he flew up into the air, barely dodging the wind blade.

"NINJA ART: OIL COVERED NEEDLE RAIN!"

Naruto looked up to see Sasuke's umbrella spinning above him, Naruto flew at the ground as the needles began falling at him, "EARTH STYLE: HEAD-HUNTER!" he said with a smirk as he disappeared into the ground, the needles impacting it behind him.

Sasuke caught his umbrella and rested it across his back, as he took a small breath, "FIRE STYLE: EMBER!" he said as he spat a small flame onto the group of needles.

The tiny flames spread over the oil covered needles, overheating the ground and forcing Naruto to surface or risk being boiled. But Sasuke's brows flew up as Naruto was holding a hand sign.

"WATER STYLE: BURSTING GEYSER!"

Sasuke felt the large amount of chakra coming up from underneath him, realising he couldn't dodge, Sasuke unsealed something in a puff of smoke as the water geyser appeared.

Naruto watched with a smirk as the geyser flew upwards, only for his eyes to widen as he saw Sasuke _surfing_ along its length on his board.

Sasuke shot off into midair on his board, lightning chakra formed in his hand as he dropped at Naruto at high speeds.

Naruto flew up to meet Sasuke as he began to spin chakra between his two hands.

"CHIDORI!"

"RASENGAN!"

The two jutsu clashed, and after holding for a few moments the exploded, destroying the wood clone that was Naruto and launching Sasuke back into the water geyser.

Sasuke was thrown into the air soaked and he opened his umbrella, sending chakra into a seal he attached, letting him hover down safely. He landed, panting heavily at his chakra loss as Naruto stepped out of a tree calmly with a smirk. "You done with my clone aniki?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke stopped struggling to stay up and fell down, "Dammit! You win again." He said with a frown, disappointed with his lack of chakra.

Sakura appeared next to Sasuke and helped him over to Naruto who just swung his sword and released a small wave of water to put out the last of the fire. He then stabbed his blade into the ground to absorb more water and moved some of his chakra over the field, regrowing the grass and healing all the trees and plants in the area.

Kakashi appeared in a poof of smoke between the three, "And that ends this little tournament, Sakura is the best at Taijutsu and Weapons, Sasuke's best at Genjutsu and sealing and finally Naruto, who is best at Ninjutsu by ridiculous levels, Medical jutsu, chakra levels and physical strength." Kakashi clapped, "Good work everyone. Now to training." Kakashi said.

Sasuke fell on his back with a sigh, "You guys go ahead, can I have a break for a while sensei?" he asked with a glance to the back end of the training field.

Kakashi nodded, showing he could sense the other presences as well, "Sure Sasuke, we'll be starting the drills on elemental chakra so you relax and take time to replenish your own alright? I suggest the lake in the next clearing."

Sasuke nodded before climbing to his feet and slowly trudging off, the moment he was gone, Naruto felt the five chakra signatures follow Sasuke. "Did you guys feel that?" he asked.

Sakura raised a brow, "Feel what?"

Naruto stood to his feet, "There are some people watching Aniki. What should we do sensei?"

Kakashi held his chin in thought, "Well, if anything serious happens we'll be able to tell. I mean he's only about two hundred meters away so one loud jutsu or his alarm seal and we'll know." He mumbled before pointing to Naruto, "One wood clone, can they maintain their wooden form?"

Naruto nodded and created a wood clone from one of the nearby trees, it had his shape but looked like wood, "Since I used the tree's natural chakra instead of gathering my own, it can step into any tree of the same species," he smirked, "Which in the village hidden in the leaves is extremely easy." He nodded to his clone, which walked off to watch Sasuke from a distance.

Sakura watched it leave before turning back to their sensei, "So what are we gonna do now?" she asked.

Kakashi eye-smiled, "You are going to be testing out that new upgrade and see if it works with your phoenix's like we thought it would." He turned to Naruto, "And you are going to work on your snake summons. I'm sure they'd like to know you can take in nature chakra easily since you're a wood style user, they probably would want to teach you to do it as a snake summoner." Sakon explained.

The two nodded and cut their palms, ""SUMMONING JUTSU!""

#############################

Sasuke lay on his back, and relaxed for a few moments before sitting up acting startled, "Whose there?!" he demanded as he scanned the trees.

"Wow, I'm surprised he managed to sense us."

A second later, five young teens leapt into a circle around Sasuke. "What do you want?" he asked.

The tallest of the five, an orange haired guy with a calm face, stepped forward, "My name is Juugo, my best friend's master would like to meet with you. Would you please consider the idea Sasuke-san?" he asked with a polite bow.

The redheaded girl scoffed, "Shut up jerk off, this guy looks way too weak to be-urk!" Juugo's arm turned grey and stretched, picking her up by the neck and cutting her off.

The other orange haired guy yelled, "Juugo! Put Tayuya down, remember the mission from Orochimaru-sama!"

His grip didn't lessen in the slightest until the brown haired guy yelled, "Would Kimimaro want her to die?"

At the mention of Kimimaro, Juugo calmed down and released Tayuya while turning to Sasuke, "Are you willing to come speak to our village's leader?" he asked.

Sasuke stared at Juugo in slight fear, 'What the hell was that thing with his arm? They can't mean THE Orochimaru right? Who the fucks Kimimaro? WHAT'S GOING ON!' he stood silently for a moment before considering his next question, trying to hold off the panic and fear of the 'superhuman mutant'.

"Why does he want to see me?"

The grey haired teen spoke, "Orochimaru-sama would like to make you strong enough to kill Itachi Uchiha." He said with a smirk.

Sasuke froze before looking at the one who spoke, "Why does he even care? What does he get out of it?" he asked slowly as he tried to think about what to do.

The brown haired one chuckled, "Orochimaru-sama wants his ninjas to be strong, he knows that as an Uchiha, you could be infinitely stronger than you are now. He wants you to be part of his army when you have avenged your clan."

Sasuke stood in silence, 'Orochimaru….he already gave me this seal, what's to say he can't make me stronger? Could I…take down my brother myself?' he thought.

Sasuke turned back to the 'leader' Juugo, "He's the one who gave me this Curse Mark. So he can remove the limiter right? Give me access to the second reserves?" he hesitated before finishing, "He can help me get my vengeance." He said as he looked down at his hands, seriously considering the offer.

Juugo nodded, "As an incentive, I have with me the trigger for your Curse Mark. If you choose to come with us you will be given it straight away." Juugo then made eye contact with Sasuke. To get all of this and more, all you have to do is leave this village and follow us."

The thoughts of power were instantly wiped from his mind, 'Leave the village? Betray my new family?' he thought as flashes of his friends moved through his mind, 'Never in a million years.' He thought before thinking of a safe way out of the situation.

"C-can…can I have some time to think about it?" he asked.

Juugo nodded, "You have until eight pm tonight. We will be waiting at the falls to the north of this village. If you aren't there we will have to go for the second option our master gave us."

Sasuke was too preoccupied with his thoughts to wonder what the 'second option' might be, "O-okay." He muttered before sitting back down.

He blinked and the five ninjas were gone, he focussed his chakra outward to feel for their signatures, but all he could feel were trees. 'They have a way to help me get more powerful, I will find out what that is and then destroy them.' He thought before standing tall, "I need to talk to Baa-sama." He whispered before shunshining away.

The Naruto wood clone stepped out from the tree, "Sasuke….you're not really considering it are you?" it asked before flying to Tsunade's office, having heard Sasuke's whisper.

###############################

Tsunade was relaxing after just filling out the last sheet of paperwork for the day in her office, 'Finally caught up with everything Sensei left behind for me.' She thought with a happy sigh.

"Baa-sama!" Sasuke yelled as he slammed open the doors.

Tsunade sat up in shock, "Yes Sasuke? What's wrong?" she asked as she stood at seeing his worried look.

He closed the door behind him and breathed heavily, "i-I, well. Basically…" he trailed off trying to find the right words.

Tsunade ushered Sasuke over to the couch, "Tell me what happened, why are you so hyped up like this?" she asked as she rubbed his back.

He took a deep breath before explaining his encounter with the five sound ninjas, "They expect me to actually do it! I didn't know what to do, so I came to you." He finished, glad to finally have said everything aloud.

Tsunade sat quietly for a moment, "You were honestly considering it?" she asked.

He hesitated before nodding, "I was thinking about how I could take Itachi down myself, no one else would be put in danger if that happened. And I really want to unlock this Curse Seal so that I can improve it…but I can't betray my home." He said, ashamed that he had considered the idea.

Tsunade held Sasuke in a hug, "It's okay, I think I've got a way to work this out. I want you to go get Kakashi for me. You go home and have a look at the construction with Sakura and Naruto, then at eight o'clock, go and meet them." She shushed Sasuke before he could interrupt, "I will handle it Sasuke-kun. You won't be left to fend them off by yourself, once you get that seal unlocking thing you want we'll have you right back here in no time at all okay?" she smiled lightly.

Sasuke sighed, "Okay Baa-sama. Thank you." He whispered before embracing her hug and leaving.

Tsunade walked over to her desk and sighed while sitting down, 'At full strength, Sasuke thought that he could take any of them on one-by-one. So five more people of Sasuke's strength level should be more than enough.' She thought as she grabbed some papers and walked to her sensei's office.

#############################

_Eight O'clock that night_

#############################

Sasuke appeared in the clearing in his shunshin, having his Kusawarigama wrapped like a belt, his Umbrella and Board crossed his back in an X-shape.

He looked around, "Where are they? We have to go now.." he muttered in frustration.

"You showed up, I honestly wasn't sure you would." Sakon said as the five sound Shinobi stepped out from the cover of the trees, Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he noticed the Fat guy carrying a huge barrel.

Sasuke sighed but glanced behind himself 'nervously', "Look, are we going or not? I'm positive they'll send people after me." He then glanced at Juugo, "Where's my power? You said you'll give it to me now." He demanded.

Juugo waved forward the brunette and the fat guy, "Kidomaru, give Sasuke-sama the pill. Jirobo, set up the barrel." He ordered.

Sasuke looked at the pill and barrel questioningly, "What's that for?" he asked as he nodded towards the barrel.

Sakon smirked, "Well you see there is a slight risk when trying to make it to the second stage, you will have to die just this once."

Sasuke frowned, "Die? Just once? What do you mean?"

Kidomaru went to answer when Juugo cut in, "Look, like you said we don't have time. Take the pill, get in the barrel. You'll be awake in about fifteen hours and it'll be fine."

Sasuke frowned, 'Fifteen hours? I won't be able to set off the signal, but if I don't accept I'll never be able to finish my research of the curse seal….I hope Baa-chan will send them out sooner rather than later' "Fine. I'll trust you this time." He said as he swallowed the pill and climbed into the barrel, beginning to feel something change in his chakra system as he suddenly fell unconscious.

Jirobo place the lid on the barrel, "Seal it up Sakon."

Sakon, stepped up. "Sealing art: Four Black Fogs Formation!" he said as a large seal wrapped around the barrel. He then threw some tags to hold the lid on, "Sealing art: Dark Sealing Method!"

Jirobo lifted the barrel onto his back once again, "Alright, let's go."

###################################

Chapter End.

**Once again, thanks for reading :D**

**As for the results of the poll, you have until midnight on the 1st of April (Eastern Australia Time), to put in your vote. At the moment, there is a clear gap saying the final result will be either:**

**3: Naruto fights Juugo and Kimimaro until Sasuke breaks free and they fight together, with a dramatic twist which gives Naruto the Rinnegan.**

**4: Naruto fights Juugo and Kimimaro until Sasuke breaks free and they fight together, Naruto absorbs either Juugo OR Kimimaro. (Juugo is in the lead, barely.)**

**If you're rooting for a different option, then vote! (I have all three possibilities planned out already so no biggy for me, although the Juugo option is the easiest and most useful in the long run) Or if you're worried the option you don't like will be chosen, vote for the one you want!**

**You will see the result of the poll in the next few chapters! R&R :D**


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty-one: Sasuke retrieval mission begins!

*Knock knock*

"Naruto-Taicho!"

Naruto hovered to the door and opened it blinking owlishly as Neji stood panting, "Wassup Neji?" he asked.

Neji leaned against the doorframe, trying to catch his breath "Tsunade-sama, she didn't receive the signal." He said.

Naruto's eyes widened, "What?! But it's been all night?!" he exclaimed.

Hearing Naruto's shout, Sakura, Pikkon and Gaara rushed to the doorway while Neji talked, "I know that! The two Jonin she sent out after them failed to retrieve him, they couldn't say much but they did confirm the group is severely weakened. That's why I'm here to get you! We have to go now!" Neji said.

Naruto nodded and hovered outside, Sakura following after, "I'm coming too Naruto." She said as if daring him to say otherwise.

Naruto nodded, "I wouldn't have it any other way Nee-chan." He said as he pulled on his shoes.

Neji nodded, "Now I just have to find two more ninjas then we can go." He muttered as he turned away.

"I will help you."

The three leaf ninjas looked at Gaara in confusion, "Gaara, you could really die out there. We can't let you die during your first week in Konoha."

Gaara just looked at Naruto, "I will repay my debt to this village. I owe you and your family my life." He explained as he stepped outside.

Pikkon smirked, "Well I guess you have your four ninjas Neji-san. I'm not missing out on something this big, and I can't let the Sand village show us up." He agreed as he adjusted the swords on his back.

Neji frowned, "Taicho, you're in lead on this one." Neji said, making Naruto hold the decision.

Naruto stood as did Sakura, "Gaara, Pikkon, Neji and Nee-chan. We're going to save Sasuke!" he declared.

He turned to Sakura, "Nee-chan, we need transport."

Sakura nodded and stepped out of the house forming hand signs, "SUMMONING JUTSU!"

*POOF*

As the large cloud of smoke dissipated, Sakura was revealed to be standing on top of Kazumi's back, "Get on if you want a lift!" Sakura yelled.

Neji and Pikkon leapt up onto it's back as Gaara rose into the air on his sand and Naruto rose with his wind funnels, "Where are we off to Sakura-sama?" Kazumi asked.

Sakura nodded to Naruto and Gaara, who had started flying towards the north.

#############################

Tsunade chewed her thumbnail in worry as she saw the Phoenix take off over the village walls and start flying away, 'Please come back safe.' She thought as she closed her eyes.

#############################

Naruto flew in the lead for a good hour before his nose picked up something, "Stop!" he ordered.

Gaara's sand lowered and Kazumi flew just above the massive tree line, allowing the three ninjas on her back to jump down. "What's wrong Nii-chan?" Sakura asked.

Naruto took a deep sniff before turning right, "Neji." He ordered.

Neji activated his Byakugan and looked off in the direction Naruto was looking, "It's the two Jonin! They're being looked after by a squad of medic ninjas so they will be fine."

Naruto nodded, "Can you see any residual chakra? It's leading that way right?" Naruto asked while pointing straight ahead.

Neji looked and noticed the tiniest of threads, "Yes you're right Taicho." He confirmed.

Naruto hovered into the air, "The fact that Neji can still see some of the chakra means the group isn't far off. Kazumi-chan, I'm sorry but you'll have to leave." Naruto said.

The phoenix nodded, "Alright, remember, if you need anything just call." It said before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"So what's the plan Naruto-taicho?" Pikkon asked.

Naruto stood quiet for a few seconds before facing his team, "I'll take the lead while carrying Neji, we'll scout ahead for the team. Gaara, can you carry Pikkon along with yourself on your sand? It's faster than tree hopping.

Gaara nodded and the two rose into the air and began to slowly fly off, "Nee-chan," Naruto started.

Sakura nodded and kept up with the two easily using her chakra skating ability.

Naruto hovered over Neji, gripping his arms in a monkey grip, and the two shot off ahead of the group.

##############################

_Three hours of travel later, early evening. Seven hours after Sasuke left._

##############################

"Taicho! I can see them!"

Naruto stopped and they two settled on a branch, "What are they doing Neji?" he asked as he sniffed, hoping to get an idea of their location.

Neji focussed his Byakugan, "They seem to be resting but I can't see Sasuke any…no wait, Sasuke's in a barrel in the center of their formation." Neji confirmed.

Naruto nodded, "Alright, this would be the best time to attack. As soon as the others get here, we strike." Naruto ordered.

Neji nodded and de-activated his Byakugan to conserve chakra, "I was unable to spot any kind of defensive set-up, but we shouldn't take them lightly. These four of these five took out two leaf Jonin after all."

Twenty minutes later, Sakura leapt up onto the branch next to the two, "Nii-san, why are we stopping?" she asked as Gaara's sand cloud became visible.

Naruto began talking as Pikkon and Gaara landed, "They are in a clearing just up ahead, I am almost positive they'd have absolutely no knowledge of Gaara even possibly being here to help. So pay attention, this is the plan…"

##########################

Kidomaru's eyes opened, "Whoever it is following us, they're damn good. They didn't trip any of my traps but the combined weight of them on one of the trees tilted it enough to cause tension on my web." He said.

Tayuya scoffed, "So what shithead? It's probably just an animal, no one else is coming!" she yelled.

Juugo smiled softly as a small bird flew off of his shoulder, "There are five people. They travelled through the air. That's why they avoided most of your ground traps." He closed his eyes. "I'll trust you all to handle it." he said as he lay back and rested.

Sakon sighed, "Kidomaru, set up an aerial net with your webs. Jirobo, feel for them along the ground with your chakra."

The two nodded and with miniscule finger gestures, Kidomaru threw his webs from tree to tree making an invisible barrier while Jirobo pressed a hand to the floor, sending out a field of chakra around the field.

The group waited, feeling no difference as a small dust wind blew through the area.

Nothing changed for a few moments, until Juugo opened his eyes. "I thought you would handle it." he said as he glanced at Sakon.

Sakon raised a brow, "We've laid the trap," he paused to spit out some dust and sand, "We're waiting for them to make their move."

Juugo stood, destroying their act of sleep, "And now we're stuck in their trap." He said as all the sand stopped flying around and froze in midair.

Jirobo acted quickly, throwing the barrel to Juugo who caught it in one hand, he slammed a hand onto the ground sending his chakra into a wider field, "I found them! That way!" he yelled as he pointed back south.

Kidomaru pulled a set of webs that tied up his targets, he yelled in effort as he pulled them into the clearing.

Sakon leapt to intercept the falling forms, ready to stab them with his kunai, but Gaara's sand caught him in midair and slammed him into Kidomaru, releasing the grip as the fell into the center of the clearing.

The four ninjas stood back to back, "Well this isn't good." Sakura muttered.

Gaara nodded in agreement when Pikkon spoke, "If only we had some kind of backup plan, I mean really, a bunch of ninjas. Diving straight into a situation without a backup plan, almost unheard of these days." He said with a smirk.

Tayuya noticed a shadow over Neji and she looked up, "Fuck!" she yelled as she jumped to the side as Naruto dove head first at who he deemed the largest threat: the 'Six armed freak.'

Kidomaru spat a web up at Naruto, who let himself get wrapped up so he could deliver a vicious head butt to Kidomaru's nose.

Kidomaru was launched backwards, his face bleeding as Sakon caught him, Neji and Sakura ran forward to help Naruto as Pikkon charged at Tayuya with his swords drawn and Gaara whipped his sand at Sakon and Kidomaru.

Naruto, from his place on the ground, looked up and ahead, making eye contact with Tayuya, for a split second, the two just stared, feeling…something.

They were snapped out of their stare as Jirobo slammed his hands on the ground, "EARTH STYE: EARTH DOME PRISON!"

Against Gaara's will, his sand drew back to protect him and Pikkon's sword strike was blocked by the rising rocks, within moments the group of ninjas from Konoha was enclosed in the giant dome.

Jirobo laughed, "You guys go on ahead, I'll finish up my snack and follow." He said as he took a deep breath and placed his hands on the dome.

Juugo leapt off as did the rest of the team, as they disappeared Jirobo heard Tayuya's voice echo, "Hurry up Fat Ass!"

Jirobo frowned before he felt chakra flow up his arms, "Damn that's good." He said with a sigh of happiness.

#######################

Gaara formed a drill with his sand and stabbed at the wall, only resulting in spraying sand around the room. "I can't break it." he said with a frown.

Pikkon crouched, "WIND SLASH!" he yelled as he slammed his blades against the rock….only managing to gouge some of the way through it. "Dammit." He grunted as he re-sheathed his swords.

"Everyone stop!"

The four people in the earth prison looked down at Naruto, who was still tangled in the webs, "First things first, something is up with these webs, I can't seem to rip them." He said.

He looked to Neji, "Scan these with your eyes, then check out this prison." He ordered.

"Byakugan!" Neji's eyes pulsed with chakra as he focussed on the webbings, after a moment, he crouched and simply poked at them causing them to snap.

As Naruto stood, and pulled himself free, Neji had finished scanning the walls. "Taicho, it appears that this dome is stealing our chakra, he's eating it!" Neji proclaimed in shock.

Naruto held the snake hand seal, "Don't care, point me in his direction."

Neji pointed at Jirobo and Naruto flared his chakra, "WOOD STYLE: FOREST DESTRUCTION!"

##############

Jirobo's smirk turned into a gasp of shock as the ground underneath him threw him into the air and a large tree began to reach for him from the ground, "What the heck?" he asked as he leapt back to the opposite side of the clearing.

With their chakra not being sapped, Sakura took her chance and charged earth chakra threw her clawed fist, "SHANNARO!"

Jirobo had to duck under the flying debris, he covered his eyes as the dust cloud disappeared and his eyes widened in shock as he saw Naruto's team positioned around the tree.

Neji looked up with his Byakugan, "Taicho, they're getting away with Sasuke!"

Naruto was about to give out orders when Sakura re-activated her gauntlets, "Go! I've got this guy!" she said.

Naruto frowned but nodded, "You be safe Nee-chan. Everyone! Let's go!" he yelled as he flew off.

Jirobo moved to intercept the others, "As if I'd just let you g-OO!" he said as Sakura's knee crunched into his face. she spun and delivered a drop kick at his head which Jirobo managed to catch and push her away.

Jirobo got up to his feet with a snarl as he noticed the rest of the team gone, "Stupid bitch! I'll crush you!" he yelled as he stomped forward and pulled back his fist.

###########################

"Keep up guys! I have their scent now!" Naruto said as he flew through the trees.

Gaara followed behind him on his sand cloud, carrying Pikkon and Neji alongside him, "Naruto, what is our new plan?" Pikkon asked.

Naruto turned back to them mid-flight, "Simple! Kill the assholes that took my brother!" Naruto yelled as he shot off faster.

"STOP!"

Naruto paused and stared at Gaara in shock, "You are getting too emotionally involved. Think rationally." He said, annoyed that he had to raise his voice.

The four began moving through the air together, "Okay…I am pretty sure that we'll be split up again like with Sakura, what do we know about the enemy?" Naruto asked, trying to look at the situation objectively.

"Neji seems to have the easiest time with the spider-guy's webs, that girl had some good senses since it appeared she heard you in the air before spotting you Naruto, I'd guess she's a distance fighter." Pikkon declared while scratching his head with a frown, "I probably wouldn't be able to get near her."

Naruto nodded to Gaara, "Think you can handle her?" he asked.

Gaara nodded, "Dead or alive?"

Naruto smirked, "Alive if possible," he thought about Tayuya's expression for a moment as their eyes met in combat, "Something about that girl…I don't know, but I have to find out." He said as he bit his lip.

Neji raised a brow, "Taicho?" he asked.

Naruto shook his head, "It's nothing, the last two, all we know is that the orange haired one has some weird transformation power thanks to Sasuke's shortlist."

Pikkon nodded, "Yeah, the other guy had two heads though, what's up with that? I mean seriously." He muttered.

Naruto sighed, "Alright, Pikkon and I will strike the remaining two together, I'm not sure what'll happen but we'll fight who-ever attacks us." he said as he stood tall again, "Alright, let's get ready to fuck it!" Naruto shouted as he lifted into the air, holding both Neji and Pikkon by their forearms.

Gaara moved forward in his sand cloud alongside the trio as they moved towards the sunset, and towards Sasuke.

###################

*BOOOM*

Sakura rolled to her feet before leaping away from Jirobo's strike, "Damn this guy is strong!" she exclaimed.

Jirobo chuckled, "You may be fast, and pretty tough, but no little girl can beat me! Jirobo of the south gate!" he said as he punched the ground, causing it to shake.

Sakura was thrown a little of balance, but she still managed to dodge Jirobo's stomp easily, "You're so damn slow fatty." She taunted as she kicked at his shoulder.

Jirobo took the hit and grasped Sakura's ankle, "Got you!" he declared before swinging her over his head and moving to slam her into the ground with a grunt of exertion.

Sakura knew she couldn't over power him in time, so she just held the one sign she needs to activate her jutsu.

To Jirobo's surprise, instead of slamming Sakura into the ground, she fell through it with her head-hunter jutsu. The shock and lack of impact pulled him off balance, giving Sakura her chance as she moved at him from underground.

She shot up, connecting her knee with Jirobo's face, he stumbled back holding his bleeding nose as Sakura once again activated her claws and got in a defensive position, "I thought you were going to kill me?" Sakura asked.

Jirobo, who was enraged at the fact a leaf bitch was beating him, decided, "Play time is over!"

Sakura's eyes widened as triangle marks grew over his whole body, covering him from head to toe, "Another Curse Seal?" she asked.

Jirobo laughed before charging at her in a blur. To many Chunnin, he would be nearly untraceable at this speed. Which is why he was so shocked as Sakura casually dropping into a push-up moving between his legs, hooking her feet so that he effectively trips over them.

Sakura rolled back to her feet with a smirk, but her smirk fell instantly once she noticed Jirobo received absolutely no damage whatsoever.

"You think that could hurt me? ME?!" he yelled as he punched the ground, causing another tremor.

Sakura's eyes widened as Jirobo ripped a giant earth sphere from the ground, "EARTH STYLE: MEGA-ROCK DUMPLING!" he yelled as he threw it a Sakura.

Sakura scoffed, 'It's been long enough, I'll show him just how pointless it is to fight a woman on a mission to save her man.' '**CRUSH THAT FATASS SHANNARO!' **'Exactly.' She thought as her legs were covered in a rainbow glow moments before she disappeared from sight underneath the massive rock.

Jirobo laughed, "Stupid bitch didn't even try to run! Hahah-"

"SHOCKING FIRST BULLET!" *****BOOOOOOOM*****

Jirobo's eyes widened his attack was obliterated, he had to dive to the side to avoid being hit by the debris of the 'dumpling', "What the heck?!" he yelled as he looked around the newly formed dust cloud to find Sakura.

"WHIP FIST!"

A clawed hand appeared from the dust and grabbed Jirobo's arm, he looked down to punch who he thought was Sakura, only to be pulled forward by her extended gauntlet.

Jirobo yelled in shock as he was lifted into the air, 'No! how can this little girl overpower me?!' he thought as he looked where he would land, only for his eyes to widen in shock once again at what he could see.

Sakura stood with each foot dug into the ground for leverage, and while one arm was her whip fist, the other was her executioners blade.

Jirobo urgently reached out with his hand and grasped the earth below him, ripping out a huge chunk, he slammed it into Sakura who was mid-swipe with her weapon.

The impact of the earth hitting her knocked the two far apart, breaking two of Sakura's ribs. she landed and rolled to her feet once again, de-activating her blade while she smirked at the sight of her strike being somewhat successful.

Jirobo stood breathing heavily, with his right arm clenched into a fist, he stared at his left arm, sitting on the ground two feet away from him.

Tears of pain appeared in Jirobo's eyes but he suppressed his cries and pulled on the chakra of his curse seal, "I won't die here!" he screamed as he was covered in dark chakra.

Sakura frowned, before leaping back to make distance between them, "What are you up to now…" she muttered.

The dark chakra swirled and convulsed, before dispersing to show an ogre looking Jirobo, his hair now covering his back and blood red warts over his flushed red skin, "I WON'T DIE HERE!" he yelled as he launched at Sakura at high speed, rearing back his only fist to clobber her.

Sakura went to move, but her legs were locked, she looked down to see strips of earth had gripped her. Is she had known they were there, she easily could've gotten free, but the extra second was what Jirobo needed to bury his fist in her already damaged ribs.

Sakura was thrown out of the clearing and into the treeline, blood coming from her lips as she coughed.

She de-activated her claws and formed hand seals as she leapt into a hiding place in the trees, "Medic Jutsu: Mystical Palm healing." She muttered as she set her bones back in place, not having time to fix them properly, she focussed on the hole that had been punctured through her lung.

She quietly continued her work as she saw Jirobo land in the place where her body impacted the ground, she watched as he lifted his foot and stomped, "EARTH STYLE: GREAT UPRISING!"

Just as Sakura healed her lung, the trees lifted from the ground and fell onto their sides as the small patch of earth Jirobo stood on rose into the air, he spotted her as she leapt away from the crash zone.

He panted as blood continuously flowed from his half-limb, but her still punched his working hand into the ground, "EARTH STYLE: STONE GAUNTLET!"

His fist was covered in spikes of rock and stone, creating a dangerous gauntlet that he charged at Sakura with.

Sakura bounced on her feet due to the energy build up in Radical Good Speed as she spun to face his charge.

"ARHAT FIST: RIGHT STRAIGHT!"

"ANNIHILATING SECOND BULLET!"

*****BOOOOOOM*****

The two shot apart, slamming into two trees opposite each other, Sakura even managed to dent the tree she impacted with, while Jirobo ploughed through two tree trunks and stopped when he slammed into a boulder.

Sakura looked at Jirobo, who had fallen from the Jirobo-shaped hole in the stone to his knees as he continually lost blood from his lack of arm. She decided now was the best time to finish him off as his curse mark receded.

Sakura charged at Jirobo, charging up her last bullet attack to finish him, but before she could, he fell to his side blacked out.

Sakura stopped next to him with a frown, "Well that was an anticlimax if I've ever seen one." she said.

Sakura nudged him with her foot, "What should I do with him?"

'**HEAL THE FATTY! SHANNARO!'** inner Sakura replied.

Sakura blinked in confusion, "What? Minutes ago you said 'crush the fattass', what happened to that?"

'**OROCHIMARU WOULD KILL FATTY FOR LOSING ANYWAY! THIS WAY WE CAN MAKE HIM LOYAL TO US! SHAAAAAAAAAAANNARROOOOOO!'**

Sakura clutched her head, "STOP YELLING SHANNARO!"

'**THEN DO WHAT I SAY! SHANNARO!'**

Sakura sighed, "Fine, stupid inner me. Stupid Haruno bloodline." She muttered with a frown as she knelt down and began closing the stumpish wound with her healing chakra.

She sighed, 'Well, he won't be awake for a while after so much blood loss,' she thought as she crunched up a soldier pill in her hand and forced the powder into his mouth, 'I guess if worst comes to worse he'll be a prisoner.' She finished as she made him drink it down with some water from her canteen.

After he had swallowed the pill, Sakura sat back, "Well, the medic team from before isn't that far away. I'll go get them and then follow after Nii-san." She decided before looking off after the team, "Sasuke-kun…be safe." She muttered before forming an earth clone to keep watch, then went to find the medic team.

###############################

_Two hours later, eleven hours since Sasuke was sealed_

###############################

Neji activated his Byakugan, "I can see them!"

Naruto turned to his other two teammates, "Do it!"

Gaara made a platform with his sand that Pikkon stood on, sending chakra into his swords, "ELEMENTAL SWORDS: FLAME SLASH!"

With each swing of his blades, a long blade of fire began cutting through the trees and branches, straight cleaving its way towards the remaining sound ninjas.

Juugo glanced over his shoulder, "That looks dangerous." He mumbled.

Sakon barely heard his mumble and turned to look behind him, seeing the fire blade approaching them, "Shit!" he yelled before jumping down to ground level.

Tayuya followed his lead, while Kidomaru leapt up into the air behind Juugo, the fire cleaved through the trees between them before dissipating fifty or so meters in front of them.

The four ninjas landed and looked at the destruction, before turning behind them to see a second slice approaching.

The group moved again, avoiding the second flame arc that transformed the battlefield into a large plain of logs next to a cliff face.

Juugo landed and surveyed the area, "A swordsman, that fights from a distance…rare." He said calmly as the Konoha team landed in front of them.

"No fucking shit dickhead!" Tayuya yelled at Juugo, before once again making eye contact with Naruto. 'What's with that guy?' she thought.

Kidomaru scoffed, "Get going you guys, Jirobo only managed to stop one of em, but once they're caught in my web," he formed a different seal with each set of hands, "They won't get out alive!" he declared as he spat webbings at the group.

Neji stepped forward and cut through the webbing with his bare hand, causing all of the sound ninja to pause in shock, "You're my opponent, Spider-man." He said with a smirk.

Kidomaru frowned before his face lit up in a smirk, "HAHAHA! This is fantastic! A challenge!" he yelled as Tayuya took a step forward and pulled out her flute.

"Sorry Web-breath, but I'm workin with ya on this one." she said as she took a stance.

Kidomaru grinned at Tayuya, "It's been a while since just you and I teamed up aye? Hehehe, this'll be fun!"

Juugo nodded, "Sakon, with me. You two, be done quickly."

Tayuya played a quick tune on her flute, and suddenly, the two faded from existence, causing Pikkon to gasp, "What the hell? Where'd everybody go?" he asked.

Neji activated his Byakugan before clashing his kunai with another invisible one, "I can see through their Genjutsu!" he declared.

Naruto frowned, 'Dammit! This is just like Aniki's chameleon jutsu,I know how to fight it easily thanks to my Silent Killing technique, and Neji can see with his Byakugan.' He glanced at Pikkon, 'But these two have no training for situations like this!'

Neji looked up, "Look out!" he yelled as he moved to dive to the side, only to find his body tied by more webbing.

The whole group was frozen in movement as the explosive kunai rain fell towards them.

Gaara opened his eyes and pulsed his chakra, "SKY SAND DEFENSIVE WALL!"

His gourd became sand and made a large wall above the team's head.

***BOOOM***

The sudden sound stopped Tayuya's music from being heard and Gaara managed to spot her, and sneak a small amount of sand into her clothing before her aural Genjutsu inflicted him again.

"I have a tag on the redhead. Pikkon-san, Naruto-san, go ahead now." Gaara said as he took a step forward and stood beside Neji, who had just finished cutting the team loose.

Naruto frowned as he stood up, "We can't fly, he'll just shoot us down!" Naruto said, annoyed that he couldn't think of a second option to get past the two sound ninjas.

Pikkon frowned, "Oh man, if only I paid attention to sensei's earth jutsu. Then I could cover our escape."

Pikkon's little complaint gave Naruto an idea, "EARTH STYLE: HEAD-HUNTER JUTSU!" Naruto declared as he tackled Pikkon and the two disappeared under the ground.

Neji watched the escape before another illusion hit Gaara, "Neji-san, am I on fire?" he calmly asked.

Neji smirked at Gaara's casual question, "No, it's another Genjutsu. If you keep that in mind you should be able to ignore it."

Gaara nodded, "And those three giant doki, they are not real either?"

Neji looked forward and his eye's widened at the site of three giant doki charging at the duo, "Umm, I can see them too." Neji said.

Gaara nodded, "Alright then." He raised his arms, bringing sand into the air as Neji leapt over Gaara, cutting away the webbing that was about to hit him, "SAND SHOWER!"

The sand became small sharp clumps and began slamming into the doki in hopes of slowing them down while Neji holds off the current wave of webbing from Kidomaru.

Tayuya frowned, 'This is gonna be an annoying battle.' She thought as she began playing a new tune.

###########################

Naruto and Pikkon surfaced and Naruto instantly began to fly again, dragging Pikkon until he was running on his own feet, "Thanks for the warning Naruto!" Pikkon said sarcastically.

Naruto looked ahead with his seal enhanced eye and saw Juugo suddenly stop with Sakon stopping by his side and suddenly yelling at his leader, "They've stopped! Now's our chance to catch them!" Naruto yelled as he unsealed one of his giant shuriken and blew on it, "WIND STYLE: UPGRADE BLADE!"

Pikkon looked on with wide eyes as the blade began glowing green, Naruto flung it forward while holding another hand seal, "SHURIKEN SHADOW CLONES!"

The one shuriken became twenty, and they flew on a direct course at Juugo and Sakon.

Sakon turned with wide eyes as the shuriken approached the two, only to be stopped meters before impact by a large white wall that grew from the ground.

Naruto's eyes widened as Pikkon frowned, "Shit, what the hell is that?" he asked as the two ninjas from Konoha neared, confirming Naruto's fear.

"It's bone. An entire wall of bone." Naruto said as he focussed Hashirama's strength into his fist and maximised it with a small amount of nature chakra.

"UNIVERSE!"

**BOOOM**

The wall of bone was obliterated and shards flew forward, forcing the now three sound ninjas to leap back.

Naruto and Pikkon landed opposite Sakon and Juugo, while Naruto stared at the third person with a frown. "A Kaguya." He said.

The grey haired teen glanced at Naruto, "You know of my clan? How is it that someone can recognise me as a Kaguya when my clan doesn't exist anymore?" he asked.

Naruto stayed quiet, 'Maybe I can turn him against Orochimaru, I can convince him that his clan has survived.' Naruto thought.

Juugo turned, "What's the plan Kimimaro?"

Naruto twitched, 'Big brother?' he gasped as a flash of memory from Naomi's toddler life.

Kimimaro stared at Sakon, "You will stop them here Sakon." He ordered before he turned, "Juugo, carry the vessel. Let's go to Orochimaru-sama."

Juugo and Kimimaro left while Sakon frowned, "Damn you Kimimaro." He muttered.

Naruto stared as Kimimaro, Juugo and the crate with Sasuke in it disappeared into the distance, "….Pikkon, kill this joker." Naruto ordered as he lifted into the air and powered wind chakra to his feet.

Sakon saw that Naruto was about to lift off and threw an explosive note at Naruto.

Naruto spat a strong gust of wind, 'GREAT BREAKTHROUGH', blowing the note back at Sakon's shocked face.

*BOOM*

The explosion gave Naruto the chance and he flew straight past Sakon, blowing the smoke away and drawing Sakon's gaze to himself.

"Dammit!" Sakon growled out as he moved to follow Naruto, onto to feel chakra building behind.

"ELEMENTAL SWORDS: MUD SHOT!"

Sakon turned and was slammed by a stream of mud, knocking him over the edge of a crevice and down into a large fissure.

Pikkon looked down into the crevice with a smirk, "Too easy." He said as he watched his one headed opponent fall into darkness.

Pikkon's eyes narrowed, "One head? Wait a sec." he muttered.

Pikkon was suddenly punched in the back of the head, knocking him dizzy and over the cliff, he looked up to see another version of Sakon jumping down after him. 'The fuck did I just get myself into?' Pikkon thought as he was swallowed by the darkness.

###################################

"SAND COFFIN!"

Gaara's sand swirled and picked up…nothing.

"That one's a Genjutsu as well Gaara-san!" Neji yelled as he ducked behind a tree to avoid some webbing.

Hidden in the trees, Kidomaru and Tayuya watched on annoyed. Kidomaru turned to his flute playing teammate, "Tayuya, this isn't working. We're losing chakra faster than they are because we are using these jutsus, but that kids sand reacts by itself and the Hyuuga doesn't seem winded in the slightest."

Tayuya nodded, 'No shit Fuckhead.' She thought.

Kidomaru spat another volley of web before standing up, "I think we have to take em separately, we can't use our stronger techniques near each other, I don't want to accidently kill you instead of them." He said as his stage one curse mark began to spread over his skin.

Tayuya nodded and stopped playing her flute, causing the Doki attacking Gaara to suddenly pause.

Gaara looked around confused as the Genjutsu stopped hitting him and the only real threats stopped moving. "Neji, we have to split up." Gaara calmly stated.

Neji nodded, "Give me a boost? I'm heading slightly back towards the village." He said before stepping out from behind the tree and running behind Gaara.

Kidomaru watched with a smirk as Neji was launched into the air with sand, "I've got the Hyuuga, you take down sandy." He said as he leapt after Neji.

Tayuya sighed, "Alright," markings of her Curse seal covering her body, "Time to kill this asshole!" she said before hitting a high note on the flute and began playing a fast tune.

Gaara raised a brow as the three Doki began moving, they relentlessly battered at Gaara's sand shield, he just closed his eyes and began focussing. 'Once I can feel the sand I have on her, I can find her in a second and crush her.'

"_Something about that girl…I don't know, but I have to find out." Naruto said as he bit his lip._

Gaara frowned, 'I will capture her alive. That is what Naruto wants.' He thought as he raised his arms.

The sand followed his movement, grasping one Doki's club and the arm of another, he crossed his arms, slamming the two into the armless Doki that was leaping at his from above.

With a quick gesture of his hands, the Doki were wrapped up in a large ball of sand. Causing Tayuya to stop playing her music and stare with wide eyes, "Shit! Have to dispel them!"

"VIOLENT SAND BURIAL!"

To Gaara's disappointment, the three Doki disappeared in s poof of smoke as the sand began to crush down on them.

Tayuya scowled and stayed perfectly still to ensure her quietness, 'Dammit, I'll have to use more Curse Chakra to summon them again. Looks like I have to use the spirit tongues.' She thought as she embraced her Curse seal to it's second stage.

Gaara turned and looked at the swirling mass of dark chakra, 'That probably is supposed to be threatening.' He thought before smirking slightly, 'This so called curse chakra is nothing in comparison to the chakra of a Bijuu.'

Tayuya leapt into the air and Gaara's smirk disappeared as he noticed her new features, she had four horns on her head, her skin was now a dark brown and her hair was down to her ass.

Tayuya laughed, "Feeling scared?!" she yelled as she slammed her hand on the ground resummoned her Doki.

Gaara just watched for a moment before speaking, "What is your name?"

Tayuya scowled, "Why do you care shithead?" she yelled before playing a low note on her flute, causing the Doki to open their mouths.

Gaara blinked, "Naruto Uzumaki has an interest in you." He explained.

Tayuya paused in her tune, her eyes wide with shock, she softly whispered, "U…..Uzumaki?" she asked.

Gaara used the opportunity of her shock to let the sand he had snuck into her clothes earlier jump out of her sleeves and grab the flute.

"SAND BURIAL!"

Gaara destroyed the flute, snapping Tayuya out of her shock.

"VIOLENT SAND EVISCERATION!"

The Doki were stabbed through the stomach and ripped to shreds, there remains dispelled and Tayuya stared in shock as her main weapon was taken from her.

Tayuya made hand seals for one of the few Ninjutsu she knew, "UZUMAKI WATER STYLE: PULSE WHIRLPOOL!"

Gaara's eyes widened as his sand covered him in a solid orb and constricted to become sandstone, the swirling water couldn't penetrate the shield, but it managed to rip it from the ground and throw it through many trees and finally it slammed into a cliff face.

As the water began to sink into the ground, Gaara's shield turned back into normal sand and Gaara stood on the wall of the cliff looking down at Tayuya.

Tayuya glared at Gaara, "Tell me about Uzumaki Naruto!" she demanded.

Gaara blinked, "He is my comrade, Chunnin of the Hidden Leaf." He sent some sand to the left and to come to Tayuya from behind.

Tayuya was enraged, "I don't care about that why is his last name Uzumaki?!" she yelled.

Gaara frowned slightly, 'How should I know?' he thought before leading with his current knowledge, "Naruto does not have a family, he has always had the name Uzumaki. I know the name Uzumaki originated from a now extinct village."

Tayuya was breathing heavily before she screamed at Gaara, "WHO IS HE?! ARE THERE OTHER UZUMAKI?!" she demanded.

Gaara stared at her for a moment, "I will let you talk to Naruto, he can answer all of your questions."

Tayuya stared at Gaara in confusion, "No! Just tell me where he is and I'll-"

"SAND PRISON!"

The sand Gaara had behind Tayuya wrapped around her arms, chest and legs. She yelled out in shock as she fell to the ground, she looked up to yell again when Gaara's sand wrapped her lower face, leaving only her nose and eyes uncovered.

Gaara approached the captured Tayuya and looked down at her face, "I will not harm you, I will take to the Hidden leaf, Tayuya Uzumaki." Tayuya's eyes widened at Gaara's words.

Gaara used his powers to lift Tayuya into the air, 'I may not be a genius, but even I could figure this out easily.' He thought as he began walking back towards the leaf with Tayuya in his grasp.

###########################

"KAITEN!"

Neji's jutsu deflected the spiders, causing them to fall around him as he looked up a Kidomaru.

Kidomaru chuckled from atop his summoned spider, his Curse Seal Glowing on his skin, "Well Hyuuga, you are indeed more fun than I thought, but I've won!"

Neji scowled as more spiders began to fall from the spider's sac, 'Time to show the true power of the hyuuga!' Neji thought as he took a low stance.

"EIGHT TRIGRAMS: SIXTY FOUR PALMS!"

Neji span, killing each spider that fell towards him with a single palm thrust, within thirty seconds Neji was surrounded by another dead sac-full of baby spiders.

Kidomaru frowned before looking at Neji closely, "You're getting tired!" he said as his frown turned into a wide grin.

Neji panted and kept his back turned as he focussed a jutsu he was closer to mastering, 'Almost ready.'

Kidomaru laughed openly before cutting open the next sac of spiders, "How about round five?!" he shouted with a laugh.

Neji focussed the necessary chakra into his hand and threw it upwards with all his might, "EIGHT TRIGRAMS: SKY PALM!"

The chakra knocked all of the spiders to the side so that they'd land on the floor around Neji, and his attack continued upwards.

Kidomaru's eyes widened in shock as the chakra push slammed into him and spider he was standing on. The force managed to dispel the spider and seriously bruise Kidomaru's whole body.

Neji whipped four kunai towards the clusters of the spiders as the attack hit Kidomaru, he activated the explosive tags as he leapt into the air, "Katsu!"

***BOOOOM***

The explosion took out all of the younger spiders and threw Neji up at Kidomaru, who was still stunned by Neji's Sky Palm.

*SLAM*

Kidomaru's eyes widened as Neji's gentle fist strike hit his stomach, launching him into a tree hard enough for him to stick.

Neji was pushed back from the force of the blow and landed on his own branch, panting as he de-activated his Byakugan and stared at Kidomaru. "It's over! You stomach is disintegrated! Just give up!" Neji yelled out.

To his shock, Kidomaru stood up with a grunt and golden armour fell from his chest, "I won't be taken out so easily!" he declared as he leapt away from Neji.

Neji frowned, 'So he can excrete that strange webbing from anywhere on his body, it also acts as an armour. I have to find a way past it.' Neji thought as he blinked on his doujutsu again.

Neji's eyes widened in shock once again as he saw Kidomaru's curse mark turn into it's stage two, "What is this?" he muttered.

Unknown to Kidomaru, Neji watched as he made a bow and arrow out of his body's excretions, 'So once again he plans to attack from a distance.' He thought as he grasped the handle of his sword, 'Then I will end this quickly as soon as I get close to him.'

Kidomaru Smirked as his third eye opened, "You're dead Hyuuga!" he yelled as he let the arrow fly.

Neji dove to the side and the arrow stabbed into a tree he hid behind, 'Those arrows are fast!' he thought as he tried to remain calm.

Kidomaru frowned, 'Alright, so I'll add spin so it can dig through these huge trees.' He thought as he made his second arrow.

Neji frowned as he suddenly realised Kidomaru wasn't in his field of vision anymore, 'Darn! Does he know about the byakugan's weakness?' Neji thought as an arrow entered his vision.

He sprinted to his right, planning to hide behind another group of trees, he was lucky when even though the arrow Dug through, it only managed to scrape his left arm. 'Okay, need to dodge them myself.'

Kidomaru frowned again, 'Looks like I need to be able to modify the flight path…the string it is.' He thought as he made an extra string connect to the end of his arrow.

Neji sent chakra to his feet to dodge the next arrow, he raised a brow as he noticed the string, 'Maybe I won't need to get close after all.' He thought with a smirk.

Kidomaru turned livid as he saw Neji's smirk, "That's it!" he yelled in anger as he made the arrow the same as his last, but used even his feet to pull it back, 'One hundred and twenty percent power! Full accuracy! DESTRUCTIVE POWER BOW!'

Neji turned to face the arrow head on, shocking Kidomaru, 'Kids got a death wish!' he thought with a smirk.

It was Neji's turn to smirk as sent chakra into the Sword of the Thunder God, "RAIJIN!" he announced as the arrow made contact with his blade.

The arrow's momentum pushed Neji back, but the electricity was carried through the stringy web all the way back to Kidomaru, who was severely electrocuted.

Kidomaru fell off the branch, paralysed and nearing unconsciousness, 'How?' what his last thought before Neji appeared in front of him.

"LIGHTENING STYLE: EIGHT TRIGRAMS: EIGHT GATES ASSAULT!"

Neji sent actual chakra into his blade, causing it to become extremely thin but over three metres long. Within mere seconds, Neji had literally cut out the chakra gates from Kidomaru's body and fried his muscles to oblivion with his weapon.

Neji landed on his knees, panting heavily as Kidomaru's cut up and fried corpse landed next to him, 'My part, was a…' he blinked as he began seeing black dots, 's..success, good…luck Tai..Taicho.' he thought as he fell onto his side, blacking out as a pink blur entered his vision.

###########################

"ELEMENTAL SWORDS: WIND BLADES!"

Pikkon span as fast as he could during his fall, sending a large wind blade in both directions at each 'Sakon'.

The Sakon closer to the ground threw an explosive note to his left, the explosion pushed him out of the way of the wind blade and pushed him towards the wall.

The Sakon higher in the air did the same, but in the opposite direction.

Pikkon covered his eyes as he fell through the smoke cloud below him, once he was through, he opened them to see the ground not too far away.

Pikkon quickly pointed his swords at the ground, 'Concentrate!' he thought as he came nearer to the ground.

"ELEMENTAL SWORDS: DEVASTATION!"

Pikkon hit the ground, the momentum was completely taken from his landing and used to form huge earth spikes around him, hoping to impale the two versions of his opponent.

He looked up and frowned as he noticed both Sakons sliding down the walls of the fissure, finally landing on either side of him and the spike field.

"Well, that was an awfully large waste of chakra, don't you agree Sakon?" the one to pikkon's left said.

The one on his right nodded, "Indeed it was Ukon. Let's finish this quickly alright?" he said as the two stood in a mirrored stance.

Pikkon scowled, 'Shit on a stick.' He thought, 'I wasn't ready for two opponents.'

The two charged at him from either side with Kunai, the three entered a bout of kenjutsu, Pikkon defending against the two foes superbly and keeping them at a safe distance.

He managed to get them facing him from the same side and quickly did a wide slash before leaping back, 'Damn! I could usually handle two people, but these two are fighting like they share the same mind!' he thought as he took a deep breath to calm down. 'I just have to separate them somehow.'

Pikkon noticed that the second Sakon, 'Ukon, or something.' Was breathing heavily.

Ukon stumbled, "Sakon, I'm tired." He said as he fell towards his brother.

Sakon smirked as Pikkon watched with wide eyes. As Ukon fell, he melded into Sakon's side and disappeared from view, until suddenly his head grew from behind the original, "Let's just go for the Do-Ray-Me, it'll probably work anyway." Ukon's head said.

Pikkon's stance slipped for a moment before he straightened up, 'WHAT THE FUCK?!' he thought as he began taking small steps backwards.

Sakon chuckled, "Time to end this." He said as the stage one curse mark grew over his skin.

Pikkon frowned, 'Shit, what now?'

Sakon ran at Pikkon once again, and swung his Kunai in a wide obvious strike, Pikkon easily blocked them only for a fist to grow from Sakon's chest and hit his face, within a second, a foot shot from Sakon's stomach and hit Pikkon's chest, knocking him back as he spat up a glob of blood.

Pikkon climbed back to his feet, "What the hell are you?" he asked as he wiped the blood from his lips.

Ukon's head turned and the brothers' heads were suddenly next to each other on Sakon's shoulders, ""We are Sakon and Ukon!"" they announced before once again charging at Pikkon.

Pikkon acted quickly, "FLAMING CROSS!" he yelled as he launched his attack.

Pikkon smirked as Sakon was forced to dodge his strike, Pikkon pulsed his chakra, "KATSU!"

The X of fire exploded, launching Sakon off to Pikkon's right and once again letting Pikkon jump amongst the earth spikes.

He span while swinging his blades in the direction of the brothers, "ELEMENTAL SWORDS: SOARING STONES!"

The top half of all of the spikes near Pikkon were sliced off by the wave of chakra, and they launched at the brothers at high speeds.

The brothers dove out of the way, managing to avoid most rocks, but there were two which scraped Sakon's right arm and leg, leaking blood onto the ground.

Pikkon smirked at his small victory, "What's wrong?! Slowing down?!" he yelled as he swung his swords passed another group of the earthen spikes, launching them at the brothers once again, "SOARING STONES!"

Sakon did all he could to dodge the next wave, but with the injury to his leg distracting him, he was hit dead on in the stomach.

Pikkon grinned as he saw the brothers get thrown back by the sharp stone, "Game over." He muttered before sheathing his swords.

Pikkon looked back up the fissure he had fallen from, 'It's gonna be a bitch to get out of here.' He turned and noticed a river running quickly downstream, 'then again, I could just ride that, it's heading in the general direction of Konoha so I'll just hop off when it-'

""WE AREN'T DONE YET!""

Pikkon span with wide eyes as the brothers exploded from the pile of rocks, now with entirely red skin and a single horn sticking from each of their foreheads.

Pikkon blinked, "SERIOUSLY?! WHAT THE FUCK?!" he yelled as he reached behind and pulled out his swords once again.

Sakon chuckled, "Go ahead! Try to hit us!" he said before running at Pikkon at high speeds, much faster than he was before.

Pikkon scowled, 'No choice then!' he thought as he activated one of the secret techniques of his clan, "ELEMENTAL SWORDS: ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE: FIFTY PERCENT!"

With a burst of electricity, his nerves were supercharged, making every movement faster and more powerful, though dulling his sense of sound and smell.

Sakon smirked, 'No matter what you do! We'll be faster!' he thought as he swung his fist at Pikkon's face.

In a burst of motion, Pikkon was crouched behind Sakon, sheathing his blades as Sakon stood still.

*Clink*

With his blades fully sheathed, Sakon fell into two halves, split straight down the middle.

Pikkon stood shook off the electrical charge jumping around his body, "Geez that hurts, still haven't gotten close to mastering it yet." He muttered as he spat some blood.

Pikkon began walking over to the river, "At least I can finally-"

"You know, we were just thinking we should split again."

Pikkon looked over his shoulder to see Sakon and Ukon grow weird grey body parts from the portion that they were hacked from, they began standing as Pikkon sighed, "Come on, can't you two die already? I'm tired." Pikkon wined as he turned to face his opponents again.

Ukon chuckled, "Well maybe you should die then. Then you can rest."

Pikkon scowled, "Hey, at least when I return from the mission I'll just get a 'thanks for volunteering'," he smirked as he continued, "Won't your snake boss punish you for being late?"

Ukon had no outward reaction but Sakon twitched, "Brother…you don't think Juugo and Kimimaro would be delayed long enough for it to be too late do you?"

Ukon scowled at his brother, "Ofcoarse they won't! as if some Chunnin could hold the two of them off!"

Pikkon chuckled, "Well, I'm just 'some gennin', and I'm holding you off. Imagine what the 'Second Senju' can do to your teammates." He taunted, using the name for Naruto he heard back in the stone village.

Sakon and Ukon both frowned, ""Second Senju?"" they asked.

Pikkon smirked, "A mere thirteen year old, with wood jutsu the strength of Hashirama Senju, and water jutsu the strength of Tobirama Senju. That and his own level of wind style and Weapon skills. Do you really think those two guys could even hold him off for a second?" he asked as he secretly got ready for an attack.

Ukon didn't lose his focus of the battle, but Sakon began to worry, "Brother, is this guy telling the truth? What if he is?" he asked as he looked toward his brother.

Ukon glanced at Sakon to reply, giving Pikkon the opening as he whipped out one of his swords and disappeared in a second burst of speed.

Ukon's eyes widened as he watched his brother get bisected, "BROTHER!" Ukon yelled as he ran towards his brother.

Pikkon, still covered in his speed boosting electric field, threw a handful of explosive notes between the two halves of Sakon before retreating to the other side of the battlefield.

Pikkon stopped channelling chakra and watched as Ukon placed a hand on wither half of his brother, Pikkon yelled, "C'mon man! I just cut the asshole in half! I doubt he'll be okay after that!"

Ukon smirked as he pulled the two halves of his brother together and began melding with him again, "That's what you think." He muttered.

Pikkon grinned, 'Ha! Just as I thought,' he thought as the two pieces of Sakon began fusing together as Ukon morphed back into the body of the almost corpse, 'Time to obliterate them both!'

Ukon made the body stand as Sakon began coming back to consciousness, "Brother, my tummy feels…funny." He said as he held his stomach.

Ukon nodded, "That's because you were cut in half moron! Now let's finish this guy off!"

Sakon shook his head, "N..no, something is, Inside!" he yelled as Pikkon pulsed his chakra into the explosive tags now in the stomach of Sakon and Ukon.

Pikkon smirked, "Try to heal this! KATSU!"

*****BOOOOOOM*****

The explosion completely obliterated the two brothers and Pikkon had to shield his eyes from the settling dust cloud. He raised his head with a small smile at his victory until he noticed the Fissure beginning to cave in on itself.

Pikkon frowned, "Oh Dammit!" he yelled as he turned and ran towards the small river and whipped out one of his swords once again, "ELEMENTAL SWORDS: WATER STYLE: MOTION SLICE!"

Pikkon jumped out of the way of the falling debris and as the blade of his sword hit the water, he was suddenly propelled along at high speed as if the sword was a boat propeller, as he cleared the danger and kept zooming downriver, he smirked, "I'm so glad I moved to Konoha! Talk about excitement! Hahaha!" he cheered as he rode the river stream back into the depths of fire country.

#######################

Kimimaro stood next to Juugo who placed Sasuke's barrel on the ground, "Kimimaro, shouldn't we get Sasuke-sama to Orochimaru-sama?" Juugo asked as he looked at Kimimaro in concern.

Kimimaro glanced at Juugo before looking back towards the direction they came from, "You may began transporting him again. I will stay here and hold of any stragglers." Kimimaro said with a near blank expression.

Juugo looked down depressed, "Does that mean…the sickness?" he couldn't finifh his question out of sadness.

Kimimaro nodded, "I am no longer using my body to be here. I am but a tool of Orochimaru-sama, my will keeps me alive."

"Funny, I heard someone say something very similar to that a while ago, too bad my teammate killed them." Naruto said as he landed in the clearing, his camouflage turning into it's normal zig-zag outfit.

Kimimaro looked at Naruto with a slight frown, "Juugo, you should go." Kimimaro stated.

Naruto smirked as he noticed the barrel behind Kimimaro and Juugo begin to let off smoke, "I will save my brother," he said with conviction before looking to Kimimaro, "And I won't let the last of Naomi-chan's family die either."

Kimimaro's eyes widened, "You knew of the Kaguya…Naomi-chan..My sister?" he asked.

Juugo stared in shock at Kimimaro, 'Naomi-chan? That was Kimimaro's little sister…' he thought.

Naruto stared darkly at Kimimaro as he filtered through the lost memories of Naomi, "Your so called master hid her from you when he found the two of you. You may think she died from the same disease you have. But he really just sold her for a couple of bucks." Naruto said with a frown.

Kimimaro stood silent and confused as Juugo stepped up next to him, "Kimimaro…?" he asked.

Kimimaro's mask dropped back over his face, hiding his emotions as he looked back at Naruto, "I will fulfil my mission. I will ask Orochimaru for myself. I will find my sister." He declared before spitting out a glob of blood.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as his medical knowledge kicked in, 'From Naomi's memories, Orochimaru spoke of a cancer. Considering Kimimaro coughed the blood after that deep breath, I can assume it's either throat of lung cancer' Naruto deduces as Kimimaro took a step back, 'I can heal that easily.' He mused with a smirk as his two opponents talked.

Juugo stepped forward as the skin on the left side of his face turned grey, "You rest for now Kimimaro, Sasuke-sama will be out soon then you can escort him to Orochimaru-sama and find the answers you're looking for."

Kimimaro nodded, "Try to stay in control Juugo, remember, the more you use the power the easier it is to get lost in it."

Naruto smirked as he realised his opponent had been decided on, "I'll kill carrot-top, than save my brother!" he yelled as he launched forward with his fist pulled back, as did Juugo.

#############################

Chapter End.

**Hello everyone! Remember, the pole ends the second the date ticks over to April, so get them votes in!**

**It's gotten pretty close! So please, I've already got the scope of each possible outcome planned so I will begin developing the rest of the story as soon as this vote is closed.**

**Be ready to see the results of the vote next Sunday when I post chapter 32: Sasuke retrieval mission concludes!**

**Please R&R! **

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**P.s. 'A Different Jutsu' is part one of my two or three part story, part one will be concluding soon-ish, and there will be a couple of weeks break until I can start part two, I just want your opinions on some things.**

**On my profile, I have the summaries of some other fanfics I plan to write soon. If you guys want, I could do part one of one of those fanfics before returning to do part two of this one. (Or, I could do part one of each story then onto part two then maybe even part three).**

**If you want me to try something like that, or have another suggestion, pleas PM me or something: D thanks for reading!**


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32: Sasuke Retrieval Mission Concludes

**The results of the poll are in! This is the result and I hope you enjoy!**

**The winner is!:….You'll have to read to find out :P**

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"LIVING WALL FIST!"

"UNIVERSE!"

**BOOOM**

Naruto and Juugo were launched back from the impact of their overpowered fists, Naruto checked himself in midair and flew at Juugo head on before the Sound nin could react.

Juugo looked up with a deranged smile on his face, "Now this is FUN!" he screamed as he took Naruto's punch directly to the chest and was launched past Kimimaro and Sasuke's barrel.

Naruto smirked as the punch landed, only for his smirk to drop as Juugo flipped around and used spikes growing from his feet to dig into the ground and stop, 'Seems he can take a hit.' Naruto thought.

Juugo took a wide stance, "HAAAAAHAHAHAAA!" he laughed before his arm turned into a huge axe and he leapt into the air, planning on slicing Naruto in half.

Naruto quickly unsealed two shuriken and held one low as he used the other to divert the axe off to the side. Naruto span, intending to stab his second shuriken into Juugo's ribs.

Juugo raised his left arm, it turned grey and blocked the blade. The two stood in the locked power struggle until a grey tube appeared from Juugo's neck and pointed at Naruto's face who stomped on the ground with his wood chakra.

"CHAKRA CANNON!"

"WOOD STYLE: OVERGROWTH!"

Weeds from the ground around them suddenly grew and wrapped around Juugo, pulling him backwards so that his chakra cannon shot into the air, narrowly avoiding hitting Naruto's face.

Letting his shuriken drop to the floor, Naruto proceeded to form a rasengan in his hands as he stepped forward.

"RASENGAN!"

Even though Juugo's skin prevented any major damage, Naruto's chakra sphere shredded the torso of his shirt and launched him backwards once again.

Naruto landed and watched as Juugo was slammed through some trees and out of his sight. He turned to Kimimaro who watched with a frown, "Step away from the barrel." Naruto ordered.

Kimimaro glanced at Naruto, then the barrel and then back at Naruto, "I won't." Kimimaro replied.

Naruto took a step towards Kimimaro only for an extremely long grey arm reached out from the tree line and punched Naruto in the face.

Naruto was knocked back but used his wind funnels to right himself, he scowled as Juugo appeared from the tree line, his face twisted into a deranged smile.

Juugo swung his extended arm again which Naruto ducked under, a hole grew from Juugo's arm which pointed back at Naruto, who was focussed on Juugo himself.

Juugo grinned as he sent chakra to the hole in his arm, "DIE!" Juugo yelled as the chakra shot out in a few small pellets.

Naruto raised his arm and aimed his hand at the pellets while staring straight at Juugo's eyes, "Bone Bullet!" Naruto announced.

Both Juugo and Kimimaro's eyes widened as bones flew from Naruto's hand made contact with the pellets, causing both to explode on contact.

Kimimaro stepped forward, "How do you have the Kaguya bloodline?" he asked with a barely noticeable frown.

Naruto smirked, "Maybe I'll tell you later," he said before reaching behind his back and whipping out Kubikiri Bocho, "Or maybe not."

Kimimaro scowled as Juugo leapt forward again, this time a large piston sticking from his elbow as he swung his fist at Naruto who swung his blade.

"PISTON PUNCH!"

"WIND STYLE: UPGRADE BLADE!"

The impact pushed Juugo into the air and lodged Naruto's sword into the ground, Naruto took the opportunity to step underneath Juugo's airborne and unfocused form and raise his arms into the air.

"DECAPITATING AIRWA-Ugh!" Naruto stopped his jutsu as some of Kimimaro's bone bullets hit his arms, not breaking through his bone armour but knocking his attack off course.

Naruto glared at Kimimaro before looking up at Juugo, only to see a larger piston sticking out from his arm as he threw a punch at Naruto's unprepared head.

"PISTON PUNCH!"

With a burst of chakra, Juugo's strong punch became a punch of ridiculous power and speed, Naruto managed to move his head out of the way, but Juugo's attack still slammed into his chest.

***BOOOM***

Naruto coughed blood as he was slammed into the ground, even his bone armour cracking. Naruto lay still for a moment as the blinding pain passed, he blinked as he noticed Juugo pulled back for a second punch.

Kimimaro smirked lightly, 'Orochimaru-sama will tell me the truth.' He thought as he watched Juugo make the final blow.

"DIE!" Juugo yelled as he threw his punch at Naruto's damaged bones.

The world slowed down for Naruto as he charged chakra from all of his tenketsu and combined it with the twirl of the Inuzuka technique.

"KAITEN! TSUUGA! COMBINATION: CHAKRA DRILL!"

Juugo's eyes widened as his punch was blown to the side and pure chakra cut through his skin, Naruto continued to spin as his defensive manoeuvre ripped up the rest of Juugo's shirt and some of his chest before the Kaiten properties of the attack wore off and Juugo was flung into the air while Naruto span out of range with the Tsuuga.

Naruto paused in his spinning to take a deep breath as he charged his wind chakra and picked up more speed, flying back towards the airborne Juugo in a green tinged tornado, "WIND STYLE: TSUUGA!"

Juugo knew he would be unable to stop the attack, so he settled to try and dodge or deflect it. He morphed his arms into becoming huge with chakra pools in the back of them and he slammed them at Naruto, "HAAA!"

Naruto's attack was knocked off course, and he recovered to land safely on his feet as Juugo fell to the ground, his hands and chest cut up and bleeding.

Naruto looked over at Juugo only to be kicked in the face by Kimimaro, As Naruto rolled back, Kimimaro turned to Juugo, "We'll do this together, there's no time for any other option."

Juugo nodded, "Just don't send me away," Juugo's psychotic side said.

Kimimaro turned to face Naruto as he stood up, healing his broken nose within seconds, "I will let you stay until this battle is over, then you will do as I say." Kimimaro ordered.

Since Naruto had landed next to his sword, he glanced down with a smirk as all the grass around it was drained of water, 'Now I know that my seal is at full capacity.' He thought as he lifted his sword and stood in a low stance, his blade resting at his hip.

Juugo grinned as he realised that Naruto was ready to fight again, but Kimimaro's eyes narrowed at the stance Naruto was in.

Naruto let some water onto his blade, in the same way Zabuza had done only twice before, "OCEAN SLASH!" he yelled as he swung the blade.

Water flew at Kimimaro and Juugo at extreme speeds, the insane water pressure was compressed to create a blade of water sharp enough to easily cut through. This was Zabuza's ultimate Kenjutsu attack, using no chakra.

Kimimaro leaned back allowing the water blade to cut some of his hairs as it moved past. Juugo jumped over it and turned as chakra was pushed from his arm once again to increase his velocity, "DIE !" he screamed as he swung his fist at Naruto.

Naruto lifted his sword in an upwards strike, barely diverting Juugo's punch over him before he charged at Kimimaro.

Kimimaro, who was staring at the large swath of trees that were hacked in half by Naruto's attack, turned to see Naruto charging at him, a focussed look in his eye as he leapt with his sword.

Kimimaro took a wide stance and bones grew from all over his torso, "LARCH DANCE!"

If Naruto was surprised, he didn't show it as he and Kimimaro stood on equal footing, Kubikiri Bocho swinging through the air in precise and powerful moves, and Kimimaro's extended ribs tearing through the air to deflect the strikes.

The dual kept up for almost a full minute before Naruto saw the tiniest opening in Kimimaro's attack. He swung for it only for Kimimaro to stop his spin and reverse direction, wrenching Naruto's blade from his grasp as he leapt back.

Naruto fell forward as his sword was pulled from his grip, landing on his knees, he noticed his shadow enlarging. Acting instantly, Naruto rolled to his side, barely dodging Juugo's stomp which created a small crater.

Naruto rolled into a crouch and leapt straight at Juugo's side, creating a rasengan in his hands as he hit Juugo.

"RASENGAN!"

Luckily for Juugo, the strike hit his enhanced arm, the greyish armour took most of the damage but Juugo was still launched across the field and through a collection of trees once again.

Naruto turned to Kimimaro and had to begin dodging as the bone wielder struck at him with his own small sword made of bone.

Naruto had no time to do anything other than dodge except analyse his surroundings, his eyes narrowed as he spotted where Kimimaro placed his sword. It was sitting on the smoking barrel Sasuke was in to prevent it from absorbing water.

Naruto frowned as he ducked under one strike only to smirk as he used his wind funnels to fly up into the air, taking Kimimaro off guard with a knee to his wrist, making him drop his blade.

Naruto unsheathed one of his battle shuriken and held it up as a shield to block Juugo's extended punch. Naruto used his wind funnels to give him a chance to grab onto the arm and pull himself behind it as Kimimaro's bone bullets hit the arm.

"OOOWW!" Juugo yelled as he ripped his arm free and pulled it back to him.

Naruto smirked as he noticed blood coming from Juugo's arm before it began to heal, 'So it IS possible to break that grey armour type thing.' Naruto thought before flying backwards to avoid another rain of bone bullets.

Naruto landed on the ground once he was sure he had properly healed the cracks in his bone armour. The bone bullets began bouncing off of his armour, managing to only knock him with each strike.

Naruto smirked as Kimimaro stopped throwing his bones and frowned, "What's the matter? Bone got your tongue?" Naruto mocked as he pitched his shuriken at Kimimaro.

Kimimaro used his amazing agility to leap into the air and actually catch the shuriken as it passed under him. He completed his airborne spin and locked his eyes onto Naruto as he planned to throw it back at him.

His eyes narrowed as he noticed Naruto was holding a single handed ram seal, "KATSU!"

The shuriken in Kimimaro's hand exploded and hundreds of small pieces of shrapnel dug into Kimimaro's bone armour as the explosive force knocked him to the ground.

Juugo looked up at the explosion to see half of Kimimaro's skin ripped from his armour, the fact that Kimimaro was to shocked to move, led him to believe that Kimimaro was dead. "NOOOO!" he screamed as dark chakra enveloped him completely.

Naruto looked up with wide eyes as Juugo suddenly grew three feet taller and his entire body became grey as his arms became wider with three chakra pistons on each side of his back, Naruto frowned, "Well Fuck." He muttered as Juugo grew jet blasters from his lower back and began flying at Naruto.

Naruto quickly slammed his hands on the ground, "WOOD STYLE: HALF TURTLE SHELL!"

Large pieces of wood grew from the ground and created a half dome in front of Naruto, Juugo was too wrapped in his rage to care as he threw his punch.

"TRIPLE PISTON PUNCH!" Juugo screamed as his punch became absurdly powerful.

Unfortunately for Juugo, this is the type of barrier that could hold of a Tailed Beast Bomb of the Kyuubi.

His punch did little more damage than a couple of splinters, making Juugo's eyes widen and Kimimaro snap out of his shock.

Naruto slammed his hand onto the underside of his defence, "WOOD STYLE: RUBBER TREE!"

The wood of the shell suddenly gained rubbery properties, causing it to bend from its bent shape and throw Juugo away once again as Naruto jumped free, hovering in the air, he bent his chakra to form one more wood jutsu, "WOOD STYLE: SMACKDOWN!"

Kimimaro, who had just climbed to his feet, was not forgotten by Naruto. The rubbery wood pieces began trying to slam Kimimaro into the ground, the continuous attack was hard for Kimimaro to dodge, until a dark chakra and some black lines spread across his body.

Naruto's eyes widened as Kimimaro suddenly began to easily dodge the strikes before he launched a set off bone bullets at Naruto. Naruto let them hit him, expecting them to do the same damage as before, but they grinded into his bone armour and pushed him away, making him lose control of his jutsu.

Naruto landed heavily on his feet and had a stare off as the super powered Juugo stood next to Kimimaro who now had odd black lines running over his skin. All three were panting heavily, but Naruto knew he was at a disadvantage against the self-healing ogre of power that was Juugo and the bone master Kimimaro.

Naruto took a deep breath to try and calm himself as the two charged at him in synchronisation. Naruto ducked under Juugo's extended fist and pulled up one of his shuriken to block Kimimaro's first close up strike, "DANCE OF THE SEEDLING FERN!"

Naruto spun his combat shuriken in complicated close up manoeuvres to fend off Kimimaro's strikes, only for Kimimaro to drop low as Juugo's fist punched Naruto square in the face.

Naruto was flung back from the force, he flipped and threw his shuriken, letting it explode to hold off the two juggernauts.

Naruto scowled as he placed a green glowing hand on his nose, healing it back into place, 'I could probably beat either one of them by themselves. But together? I doubt it unless I release all of my weights or use my snake nature transformation….but the sudden weight change would rip my muscles, and I haven't come close to mastering the Dragon mode.' Naruto thought as Juugo leapt into the air for another downward strike while Kimimaro launched Bone bullets as a distraction. 'What do I do?' Naruto thought as he used his wind funnels to throw the bones offcourse.

Naruto realised he wasn't fast enough and raised his arms in a cross block as Juugo descended with his piston punch.

"SEALING ART: REPULSE BARRIER!"

All three ninja's eyes widened as Juugo's Piston Punch slammed into the small purple barrier that was airborne above a mid-air seal. The Barrier stopped all of Juugo's momentum before it shattered, and he landed in a crouch in front of Naruto.

Naruto drop kicked Juugo's armoured chest, launching him back at Kimimaro. Kimimaro caught Juugo as a figure landed next to Naruto with Kubikiri Bocho in his grasp.

"Damn Otouto, this blade is heavy." Sasuke said with a smirk as his stage one curse seal glowed across his body.

Naruto grinned and grasped the blade by the handle as Sasuke passed it to him, "Bout time you got up, you've been in that barrel for almost a whole day!" Naruto said as he leant against his blade for a rest.

Sasuke smirked before turning to Kimimaro who had shouted, "Sasuke-sama! We need to get you to Orochimaru-sama right now!"

Sasuke's smirk grew into a small grin, "Why's that? I already unlocked the second stage of my curse seal. That's all the power I need from that snake pedo." Sasuke said.

Kimimaro bristled, "Do NOT mock Orochimaru-sama!"

Naruto waved, "Umm, actually I got some of Orochi-teme's memories…he actually isn't a pedophile." Naruto said.

Kimimaro calmed slightly as Sasuke raised a brow at Naruto's almost unnoticeable smirk, "…..he just likes snakes up his butt."

Juugo growled, "I'll kill you!" he screamed as he flew towards Naruto with his chakra jets once again.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan, "So Otouto, any orders I need to know of?" he asked, wondering if Tsunade had informed Naruto of anything important.

Naruto nodded, "I'll take the ogre guy and you handle bones. I trust you can capture him alive?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke groaned as the two leapt back, dodging Juugo's earth shattering punch, "I never get to fight the freaks." He whined before his Sharingan picked up movement and he pushed Naruto and himself apart, letting bone pellets fly between the two of them.

Sasuke raised a brow, "Bone bullets? One of yours Naruto?" he asked.

Naruto smirked, "Hehe, something like that, just take him alive. My opponent is too unstable to let live." He said as his smirk grew, "Though those techniques of his sure are interesting." Naruto said as the two Leaf ninjas landed safely and turned to face the sound duo.

""Let's Take 'Em Down!"" the brothers said before launching forward to attack.

##########################

"I'm back! I got Neji!" Sakura said as she hobbled into the clearing and lay Neji down.

One of the three medic ninjas ran over and crouched down as his hands glowed green, "Other than a chakra burn and the scratches and lacerations, he only seems to be suffering from minor chakra exhaustion." The Medic explained as he began haling the cuts.

Sakura nodded and stood, looking over at the sleeping Jirobo who was cuffed and laying next to another medic, "Where's Gaara? I thought he'd be back by now." Sakura mumbled.

"I am here."

She turned and smiled at Gaara who walked into the field with Tayuya in an airborne sand coffin, "I have captured Uzumaki Tayuya, I have no injuries." Gaara stated as he waved off Shizune and the approaching medic nin and lay Tayuya next to Jirobo.

Sakura's eyes widened, "Did you just say her name was Uzumaki?"

Gaara nodded and was about to explain himself when he was cut off by a yell, "Oi! Sakura! Didn't you even see me?!" Pikkon shouted as he hobbled into the clearing, his body soaked from the river he had been in earlier.

Sakura grinned, "Pikkon! You made it!" she said happily.

Pikkon's brow twitched, "Of course I made it! But seriously?! Can you try to NOT run on a guy? I was almost asleep on the river and you stepped on my face to get Neji here!" Pikkon said frustrated as he gestured to his broken nose before wincing and holding his sore ribs.

Instantly, the medic that Gaara waved off was next to him, healing the internal wounds he had before fixing his nose. "Feeling better now?" Shizune asked.

Pikkon nodded, "Yeah, much." He grinned at her, "Thanks." He finished before falling on his back, passed out.

Shizune fell to her knees and tried to diagnose his ailment, only to relax with a sigh, "It's just minor chakra exhaustion, similar to what Neji has." She confirmed before Gaara's sand picked up the unconscious swordsman and lay him down beside Neji.

Gaara glanced around the site, "Where are Naruto and Sasuke?" he asked.

Sakura looked up at him before staring down again, "They are a long way ahead. At my full speed I could probably meet them within half an hour, but I just…I don't know." She shrugged before fiddling with a bracelet on her wrist.

Gaara nodded, "You're scared. You know Naruto is the strongest of us and that if he can't save Sasuke, it is more than likely that we can't either."

Sakura stared up at him with unshed tears in her eyes, "Yeah…Pretty much." She said quietly.

A few moments of silence passed before they all turned at the sound of a loud impact far away, moments later, a strong breeze suddenly blew through the area, obviously from a large impact of some kind.

One of Shizune's medics blinked owlishly, "What do you think that was?" he asked.

Sakura frowned, "A battle coming to a close." She muttered as she looked into the distance, towards the love of her life and her brother.

###########################

"DEATHSTROKE!" Juugo yelled.

His arm elongated into its whip-like form, he sweep it across the field, destroying most of the one hundred water clones while the rest of them jumped into the air.

Juugo looked up at the many clones and grinned, "I'LL KILL YOU ALL!" he screamed as he formed a tube from his chest.

"CHAKRA CANNON!"

Once again, most of the clones were destroyed, but about six got through, they all attacked him using their battle shuriken, the range of attacks from all sides was causing Juugo trouble, not because of damage, but because he was unable to manoeuvre with so many around him.

As Juugo fought off the clones for the past five minutes, Naruto sat underground, absorbing Nature chakra from the surrounding area and formed it as a wood user, 'I'm almost there, I wonder why there isn't as much nature chakra around this area.' Naruto thought as the markings on his face finally appeared.

Juugo stuck his fist through the head of the last water clone, leaving him in a wide stance as he looked around for his enemy.

Hearing a crinkling below him, Juugo looked down to see Naruto, now in sage mode, shoot out of the ground with his head-hunter jutsu and punch Juugo right in the face.

With the boost from sage mode, Naruto's already powerful punches had the force of a wrecking ball. The single punch threw Juugo into the air while shattering some teeth.

Naruto landed and looked at Juugo, his eyes widened as he could suddenly feel where all the nature chakra in the area was going, 'The hell? He's passively absorbing nature chakra!?' Naruto thought in shock as Juugo stood to his feet.

Juugo took a deep breath and with a shout, blasted the off guard Naruto into the air. While Juugo leapt up after him, his arm formed into a gigantic axe that he swung at the falling Naruto.

Naruto spun with his blade in a guard as the force of the attack pushed the two apart in midair.

Juugo flipped so as to land on his feet, but Naruto had already spun and flew at Juugo, his sword shining in the sunlight as it connected to Juugo's arm.

With as much power as he could, Naruto sliced at Juugo's arm in an attempt to cut it off. But Juugo's armour was too thick, making the usually killing strike into nothing more than a gash.

Naruto pushed passed Juugo, who fell to the ground holding his arm in pain. Naruto hovered above the ground and sheathed his sword as he turned to face Juugo, whose arm was almost finished healing by this point.

Juugo shot forward with his chakra jets as he struck again, "PISTON PUNCH!" he screamed as his fist flew towards Naruto.

Naruto, confident in his sage mode and adamantine strength, threw one of his own punches, "UNIVERSE!"

***BOOOM***

The impact of the two punches caused a shockwave that could've been heard and felt for miles, but that wasn't the cause for Naruto's smirk.

*CRACK*

Juugo's arm had crunched back on itself, the armour held strong, but the bones inside his arm were completely shattered, causing Juugo to pause for a moment before screaming in pain.

#######################

"LARCH DANCE!"

Sasuke dodged each of Kimimaro's amazing bones blades with his Sharingan blazing with three tomoe in each eye. He dropped under Kimimaro's last attack in the sequence and kicked out at his legs.

Kimimaro was analysing Sasuke, feeling confident enough to only put in half of his full effort. That is, until he was tripped and had to throw out his arms to catch himself.

Before Kimimaro had time to recover, Sasuke used his combat umbrella like a bat and slammed it into Kimimaro's skinless chest.

Kimimaro was launched back and rolled across the field until he pushed off and landed on his feet in a skid. He looked up and glared at Sasuke, "You have betrayed Orochimaru-sama." he declared as he pulled a bone sword from his shoulder.

Seeing the chakra flow in the way that Kimimaro whipped out his sword caused Sasuke to smirk, 'That's exactly the way Naruto channels his chakra to produce his Hidden Bone Blades. Maybe it IS possible for him to learn some of the more advanced techniques, especially since it's fully integrated into his system.' Sasuke thought as he opened his battle umbrella and rested it on his shoulder calmly.

"Na, I didn't betray him," Sasuke said before smirking at Kimimaro, his Sharingan spinning, "I just used him."

Kimimaro bristled with emotions he had kept locked away for years, he leapt at Sasuke with rage as his curse seal enveloped his whole body and his skin began to change colour.

Sasuke took a deep breath, building fire chakra in his lungs while thought activating a seal on his umbrella, "UCHIHA FIRE STYLE: GREAT FIRE ANNIHILATION!" Sasuke yelled as the fireball he blew grew into a wall thanks to the wind jutsu flowing from his umbrella.

Kimimaro ran headstrong into the firestorm as he was completely enveloped in the curse seal's chakra, this caused Sasuke's eyes to widen, 'Can he really withstand the one of the hottest fire jutsu in the Leaf?' he thought as he spun his umbrella back onto his back and took off his Kusawarigama in preparation.

His Sharingan picked up movement and he leapt into the air as a large bone drill appeared from the smoke with Kimimaro behind it. The drill had parted the flames enough for him to get through with only minor burns.

Sasuke swung his weapon, planning for the weight of his weapon to slam into the side of Kimimaro's head. But Kimimaro saw Sasuke's shadow as the fire jutsu went out and he ducked under the attack before launching the front most portion of his drill at Sasuke, similar to the way he threw his bone bullets.

Sasuke span around and let the large bone piece fly at his back, with a pulse of his chakra, the repulsing seals on his board activated, stopping the bone attack's momentum. Sasuke completed his spin and grasped the bone chunk. He used it as a small shield to block the oncoming bone bullets that Kimimaro was launching at him.

Sasuke landed and knocked away the last bone bullet while sending more fire chakra to his lungs, 'FIRE STYLE: FIREBALL JUTSU!'

The fireball burned across the field, blocking Sasuke from Kimimaro's view and threatening major damage.

Sasuke frowned as the Fire ball bore down on his enemy, 'Okay, think! I know he'll get passed this jutsu, it appears that fire doesn't beat bone.' He tapped his foot impatiently as he re-wrapped his weapon like a belt. The tapping stopped and Sasuke smirked, 'Guess I'll have to take advantage of the curse mark like he is.' Sasuke thought as he embraced the power of the curse mark that he had only had a short time to alter.

Kimimaro scowled as the fireball barrelled towards him, he quickly slammed his hands on the ground and channelled his bone chakra, "BONE WALL!" he announced as he created a….wall of bone.

The Fireball impacted and he could feel the intense heat for a moment before he felt something much more threatening, 'Curse power?' he thought as he felt a dark pulse of chakra.

Kimimaro withdrew his chakra from the wall of bone, causing it to collapse as the fire completely dissipated. He frowned as he saw Sasuke, with grey hair and grey skin. Kimimaro stared at the shuriken shape across of Sasuke's face in annoyance until he saw Sasuke's eyes.

Every person who enters the second stage of the curse seal has black eyes where they were usually white. From Orochimaru's explanation, that was just a fact.

Kimimaro stared into Sasuke's Sharingan eyes, 'Then how are his scleras still white?'

Indeed, Sasuke stood tall and took his first breath as a true curse seal user, his eyes no different from when they were before, but everything else about him he could feel was different.

Sasuke smirked, "Now I understand why you guys follow the snake lover, this is A LOT of power!" Sasuke said with a chuckle.

Hearing Sasuke's words snapped Kimimaro out of his funk, "Does that mean you will come with me to Orochimaru-sama?"

Sasuke raised a brow, "Why would I do that? I already have the power AND I managed to get rid of his dark intent from the booster." Sasuke explained.

Kimimaro stared at Sasuke's clear eyes, "….Dark intent?" he asked.

Sasuke's smirk returned, "Yeah, in the second stage of the curse seal, you're supposed to see only what would benefit Orochimaru. Just like right now, you see me. You can't even recognise the other fight right now can you?" Sasuke mocked with a gesture to his right.

Kimimaro looked confused, 'Other fight?' he thought before trying to look away from Sasuke, 'He's right, there was…someone else, who was it?' he thought in confusion as he used all his focus to try and look away from Sasuke, but for some reason, he just couldn't look away from the hypnotising Sharingan.

Sasuke focused his Genjutsu, 'Just a trace of doubt...got it!' Sasuke thought as he magnified Kimimaro's doubt of Orochimaru.

After sweating and pouring his will into it, Kimimaro was finally able to glance to the side, "Juugo!" he exclaimed as he suddenly remembered his deranged comrade, 'The closest thing I've had to a friend…and if anything he's more like a pet anyway.' Kimimaro thought before his revelation hit and he looked back at Sasuke, "How?" he asked in confusion as his will to fight lessened and his doubt grew.

Sasuke scoffed while maintaining eye contact with Kimimaro, "I am able to modify my seal thanks to my knowledge on the sealing arts and my Sharingan," he explained as his Sharingan continued to slowly rotate.

Sasuke implanted just a section of what he heard earlier from Naruto, into Kimimaro's thoughts. Kimimaro's eyes widened as he remembered: _"…I won't let the last of Naomi-chan's family die either."_

Kimimaro held his forehead in pain, 'B-but, Orochimaru-sama said she was gone…that she didn't survive the disease of the Kaguya.' Kimimaro thought.

Suddenly, Kimimaro stared at Sasuke intently, while Sasuke took a step back in confusion, 'The bone guy's curse seal, its chakra reacted by itself! He's no longer in my Genjutsu!' Sasuke thought while keeping a straight face.

Kimimaro stood to his feet, his eyes glued to Sasuke as he coughed up a small handful of blood, "Orochimaru-sama wants you to join him Sasuke-sama, cough cough, I must fulfil his wish!" Kimimaro declared as he reached behind him and ripped out his spine.

Sasuke's eyes widened, 'Okay, Otouto won't be able to imitate that one.' Sasuke thought as he readied his Kusawarigama and sealed his board and umbrella into his sealing capsules.

Kimimaro spun his spine above his head like a whip as his other arm formed the same drill-like weapon from earlier.

Sasuke began mirroring Kimimaro with the help of Sharingan, he span his Kusa above his head in a similar fashion and seallessly activated a Chidori in his other hand.

The two charged and attacked with their whips, ""CLEMATIS DANCE: VINE!""

The two threw their chain/spine forward and wrapped them around the opponent, the only thing left free was their opposite arm. As the two charged at each other, they pulled back their secondary weapons.

""CLEMATIS DANCE: FLOWER!""

Sasuke threw forward his Chidori and met Kimimaro's bone drill head on, the two powers struggled for a moment until Kimimaro's eyes widened.

Sasuke smirked, 'Even though fire can't beat bone, Lightning can!' he thought as his Chidori began to crack Kimimaro's weapon.

Kimimaro screamed as Sasuke managed to shatter the bone drill and scraped up Kimimaro's arm, cracking the bone armour under his skin.

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

###########################

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

Juugo looked up in fear as he saw Sasuke rip through the skin of Kimimaro's arm, "NO!" Juugo yelled as he span around to help his friend.

Naruto used the opportunity to activate his new jutsu, focussing on the portion of Orochimaru's soul that he absorbed earlier, he felt as his chakra leaned more towards fire nature. Naruto held his hands together, forming a rasengan as he focussed on the fire chakra.

Naruto shot forward as he held the red rasengan next to his hip, "Hoooooaaahhh!" Naruto roared as the fire chakra ripped at his skin.

Feeling the heat behind him, Juugo broke out of his fear and turned back to Naruto to see the blonde ninja thrusting his hands forward towards Juugo over the twenty meter gap.

"FLAME RASENGAN!" Naruto announced as he used the wind funnels in his palms to push the swirling fire ball through the air.

The flaming rasengan tore through the air with a tail of fire, Naruto was even pushed backwards from the power and Juugo's eyes widened in fear.

Juugo crossed his arms in front of him and they turned grey with his curse armour, mere seconds before fire rasengan slammed into him.

Juugo screamed in pain as the rasengan burned through his crossed arms, the fire was spread across his form.

Naruto smirked as Juugo's enlarged hands fell to the ground, "AAAAHHHH!" Juugo continued screaming.

Naruto took the chance and leapt forward, using the final burst of his own sage chakra, and his knowledge of medical jutsu, he pushed the nature chakra from Juugo's body.

Juugo's screams of pain stopped as the sudden feeling of peace embraced him, 'There's no more…rage.' He realised as he relied only on his own body's chakra for the first time, discovering that his insanity was caused by the overbalance of nature chakra itself.

Naruto shot forward, his arms reaching out as his dark grin covered his face, "I WILL HAVE YOU!" Naruto yelled as he tackled the armless Juugo to the ground.

Juugo looked up to thank Naruto for removing his darkness only to be confused as Naruto gripped his forehead.

"NINJA ART: SOUL DRAIN!"

Naruto grinned as Juugo was sucked into his body, Naruto glanced over at Sasuke to see his fight coming to an end, as he felt nature chakra begin to enter his system by itself, 'With this, I can become the first person to master multiple sage modes! I will make the Leaf prosper!' Naruto thought as he remembered his vow to the Sandaime.

_Flashback_

_With an aged smile, Sarutobi slowly got up walked around his desk and knelt to eye level next to Naruto, "believe in the will of fire Naruto-kun," Now placing the Hokage hat on Naruto's head. "and use it to protect the Hidden leaf village."_

_Naruto looked up at Sarutobi with more determination than any 12 year old should have, "til my last breath jij, I will live by these words! My new Nin-do! BELIEVE IT!" finishing with a hug, Naruto gave the hat back with a smile._

Naruto looked up with a wicked grin, 'Believe it!' he thought as he stood up and ran towards Kimimaro and his brother.

#################################

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

As Sasuke ripped his arm free from Kimimaro's bloody arm, he span and threw out his Kusawarigama.

Kimimaro stared in shock and pain at his arm, 'My armour, it's damaged?'

He was knocked out of his shock as he was wrapped in the chain of Sasuke's weapon. Sasuke slipped the blade of his weapon through one of the links in his chain and slammed it into the ground, "ARTHUR'S SWORD!" Sasuke exclaimed, capturing Kimimaro against the ground in a way that if he moved, it would only make the chain tighter.

Kimimaro stared in shock, 'I…lost?'

Sasuke knelt over Kimimaro, a gap between the chains allowed Sasuke a clear view of Kimimaro's Curse seal, "Now let's see…" Sasuke muttered as he analysed the matured seal with his Sharingan.

Kimimaro looked at Sasuke in shock, "Wha-what are you doing?" he demanded.

Sasuke reached down and placed a hand over Kimimaro's seal, he began moving his hand, writing sealing formulas with his chakra as Naruto skid on his knees to a stop. "Can you do it Aniki?" Naruto asked as he glanced up at his brother.

Sasuke smirked as he wrote the final stroke, "Already done." He said as he pressed his palm into Kimimaro's chest.

Kimimaro's eyes widened and he lay with his mouth stretched open in silent pain, 'What is this?!' he thought as he felt a glob burst from his chest and move up his oesophagus.

Sasuke was sweating as he concentrated, Kimimaro's Curse seal returned to its level one stage before finally settling, causing Kimimaro to gasp as the glob moved into the back of his throat. "Otouto, it'll be coming out of his mouth, be ready." Sasuke said as he pushed the final part of the seal into place.

Kimimaro hacked up a black sludge, it landed on his chest and writhed around, the sludge slowly disappeared to show a small white snake.

Naruto grinned as he gripped the snake around its mouth, "Well, hello Orochimaru." Naruto mocked before closing his eyes.

The white snake's eyes widened, 'How did these two brats know?!' it thought as Naruto's eyes snapped open.

"NINJA ART: SOUL DRAIN!"

The snake was sucked into Naruto through his palm, and Naruto blinked as another portion of Orochimaru's soul assimilated itself alongside the first piece from his mind.

When Naruto took a deep breath, he had assimilated most of the Kimimaro related memories, "He has Lung cancer. The curse seal was amplifying its potency, but with it gone, I can heal this in about ten minutes." Naruto concluded as he placed his now green glowing hands on Kimimaro's chest.

Kimimaro's gaze moved between the two Konoha Shinobi, "B-but Orochimaru-sama said I can't be healed" he thought as he realised the man was using and manipulating him, just like Sasuke was implying earlier, "W-why are you saving me? I don't understand, what's going on?" he asked.

Sasuke looked down at their captive, "Just rest for now, think about what Orochimaru has told you in the past. Look at them objectively; you can now since the curse seal won't affect your thought processes anymore." Sasuke explained as he blinked on his Sharingan one last time.

"Sleep Kimimaro."

###############################

Gaara stood up from his place next to Sakura, "Someone is coming."

All conscious people in the clearing turned in the direction he was facing, Sakura activated her claws just in case.

Moments later, Naruto casually hovered into the clearing, holding the unconscious Kimimaro in his arms. Sasuke stood on his board leading his brother, he was smirking as he entered the clearing, "See Otouto, I told you I could track them down easily." He said as he blinked off his Sharingan.

Sakura grinned happily as she leapt forward, "Sasuke-kun!" she exclaimed as she wrapped him in a hug.

Sasuke smiled softly as he returned the hug, "I'm okay Sakura-chan," he pulled out of the hug and kissed her forehead, "Let's go home."

The group gathered and began patting Naruto and Sasuke's backs in congratulations, until Naruto shouted, "All right! Let's get goin!"

Gaara lifted Jirobo and Tayuya with his sand while Naruto carried Kimimaro bridal style, and they all began moving back towards the Leaf. As a team once again.

###############################

"Mission complete Hoka-"OI Baa-chan! Wake up!"

Sasuke's brow twitched at his brother's loud scream, but he let it go since it managed to wake up the old lady.

Tsunade lifted her head, a big red mark on her forehead and a sheet of paper stuck to her cheek, "…Huh?" she asked before yawning.

The ninja of the Sasuke retrieval mission sweat dropped while Shizune walked up to the village leader, "Tsunade-sama, Sasuke is back."

Tsunade instantly snapped out of her funk, "Oh! You're all back!" she exclaimed as she stood up with a huge smile.

Gaara and Pikkon raised a brow at the Hokage's actions, while Tsunade leapt across the desk and waved everyone over to the couches along the wall of her office, she span a normal chair around and sat on it, "So, tell me what happened Sasuke."

Sasuke shrugged, "Long story short, I was unconscious so I couldn't let off the signal. These guys defeated the people who were 'escorting' me to Orochimaru," he said with a wave to the other gennin/Chunnin in the room, "Then I woke up, Naruto and I defeated the team leaders." Sasuke explained.

Tsunade raised a brow, "….That's it?" she asked.

Sasuke smirked, "Hey, I wasn't the team leader on this, Naruto's the one who has to do the mission report."

Tsunade turned to Naruto, who she just realised was holding an unconscious man, "Naruto?" she asked.

Naruto shrugged, "You can read the mission report once I turn it in to Jiji, anyways," he turned to the people on his team, "I need full recounts of each of your battles." He said before yawning.

Tsunade sighed, "Fine, be like that. One question though," she said as she once again acknowledged Kimimaro and Gaara's captives, "These three are who exactly?"

Naruto grinned, "This, is Kimimaro Kaguya." Naruto said with a grin.

Gaara unwrapped the sand from around his captive's heads, "Jirobo, and Tayuya Uzumaki." He said.

Tsunade, Naruto and Sasuke's heads snapped towards Gaara, "Uzumaki?" Tsunade asked.

Gaara nodded, "I will escort the three of them to the hospital. I personally think Squad seven should be the first to see them." He informed.

Tsunade looked at Naruto, who was staring at the red headed girl with wide eyes, "I think I'll see them first, then you three will meet them." She said.

Sasuke and Sakura nodded while Naruto just stared at Tayuya, "Uzumaki?" he murmured.

Tsunade stood tall, "Alright, you're all dismissed, Gaara take them to the hospital, there is already an ANBU medic ready and waiting for them. After that, go home and sleep. You still have a few hours until morning, in fact, you guys can have the next few days off."

######################

*SLAM*

"Finally!" Sakura yelled as she, Sasuke, Naruto and Pikkon walked through the front door.

They four were kicking off their shoes as kin suddenly appeared from the stairwell, "Where the hell did you guys go?!" she asked.

Sasuke raised a brow, "No one told you?"

Kin pouted as she threw her arms around Sasuke, her snake skin cloak wrapping around them, "No one tells me anything, I feel left out." She said as she leaned against Sasuke.

Sasuke smiled as he picked Kin up bridal style, making her squeal before he began talking, "How about you, Sakura and I head over to pick up Ayame? I'm taking you all out for dinner tonight." He said before kissing Kin on the lips.

Sakura giggled at Kin's stupid expression as Sasuke placed her back on her feet, " m'kay, Sasuke-kuuuuun." Kin drawled dreamily as she practically floated over to Sakura.

Sakura poked Kin's forehead, snapping the girl out of her dream state, "Hey Kin-chan, I need a shower, you wanna come with?" she suggested as she hooked arms with Kin.

Kin nodded, "Sure Sakura-chan! I still smell from Anko-sensei's training anyways." Kin said as the two walked up stairs.

Pikkon and Sasuke stared after the two girls, "S-Sasuke, are you dating BOTH of those girls?" Pikkon asked.

Sasuke nodded with a small smirk and blush, "Yeah, and Ayame-chan."

Pikkon blinked, "So…are they just with you? Or like…each other?" Pikkon thought before chuckling in a way that reminded Sasuke of Jiraiya.

Sasuke glared at Pikkon with his Sharingan, "You look at my girls like that, and you won't look at anything again." Sasuke threatened.

Pikkon waved Sasuke off, "I didn't mean it like that, I just thought. Y'know, two girls. Hot shower. Soapy water." Pikkon began giggling again as a small trickle of blood dripped from his nose.

*BLAM*

Pikkon flew back out the door from Sasuke's punch and disappeared into the air over the village.

Sasuke smirked as he cracked his knuckles, "I warned him." He muttered before beginning to turn back to the house again. He paused as he noticed Naruto still standing in the entryway, he hadn't moved since he kicked off his shoes.

Sasuke's brow furrowed, "Otouto?" he asked softly.

Naruto just stared blankly at the ground, so Sasuke called again while grasping his shoulder, "Naruto, are you ok?"

Naruto looked up at Sasuke, "Huh?" he asked, Sasuke frowned lightly as he noticed Naruto's wide and confused eyes.

Sasuke sighed as he began pulling Naruto further into the house, quite easily since the blonde haired boy was still hovering. Sasuke sat him down on one of the couch seats as he sat on the coffe table facing him. "Is it about the redhead?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto stared forward, "Her name…Tayuya Uzumaki." He muttered before looking up at Sasuke, "What, what does this mean?" Naruto asked, confusion, fear and hope obvious in his body language.

Sasuke placed on of his hands on Naruto's shoulder, causing Naruto to lock eyes with him, "…I think it means we have another person to add to our family Otouto." Sasuke said with a small smirk.

Naruto's confused expression slowly changed into a teary smile, "Family?" he asked before wiping his tears and smiling widely, "I'll have another sister." Naruto said before laughing out loud.

Sasuke smirked as he sat up tall, letting Naruto laugh off his exasperation before Sasuke frowned and shared the bad news, "But…she was one of Orochimaru's henchmen."

Naruto's cheery attitude instantly disappeared and he looked at Sasuke in shock, 'Right, I forgot about that…' he thought, "Can I talk to her?" Naruto asked.

The simple question caught Sasuke off-guard, "It's not my choice Otouto, I have no say in the matter." Sasuke answered, sad to disappoint his brother.

"You may Naruto."

The two brothers turned and stared at Gaara, who placed his gourd down as he sat on one of the upright chairs at the small table behind the couch, folding his arms as he closed his eyes.

Naruto blinked in confusion, "Gaara?"

Gaara opened his insomnia ridden eyes and looked at Naruto, "The only reason I was able to capture Tayuya is because she lowered her guard when your name was mentioned. She was conscious the whole time. Once I removed my sand from her mouth at the hospital, she just asked me if I could find a way for her to meet you." Gaara explained.

Naruto stared at Gaara, "She asked? No crazy demanding or anything?" he asked, expecting one of Orochimaru's top henchmen to have some weird quirks.

Gaara twitched as he remembered Tayuya's habit of cursing, "She is…a unique woman." Gaara answered, avoiding the question.

Naruto smiled and hugged a pillow to his chest, "She, could be like, my blood cousin or something." Naruto said.

Sasuke stood and patted his brother's shoulder, "You keep daydreaming Naruto, I'm gonna use the downstairs shower." He said as he walked from the room.

Naruto looked up at the coffee table and noticed his father's journal, he grabbed it and turned to the back, seeing the blood seal, 'Is it time to read mom's diary?' he thought as he ran a hand over the containment seal.

Gaara watched Naruto's actions with confusion, since he honestly didn't know any better, he said what he was thinking, "Why aren't you name Naruto Namikaze?"

Naruto jumped at the question and spun to face Gaara, "Wha-what do you mean?" Naruto asked, trying to find a way to hide the small fact of being the Yondaime's son.

Gaara tilted his head, "Your father was the Fourth Hokage wasn't he?"

Naruto shooshed Gaara, "Shhh! I don't want everyone knowing something like that!" Naruto whispered as he held his father's journal to his chest.

Gaara frowned, "…Alright." He muttered in confusion.

Naruto sighed heavily as he jumped to his feet, "Maybe, I'll explain later." Naruto said with a small smile.

Gaara nodded, "I have another question Naruto. About your…our burdens." Gaara said as he patted his own stomach.

Naruto nodded and hovered into the air before crouching opposite Gaara in his usual manner, "Is sandy bothering you again?"

Gaara's brow furrowed, "Shukaku has not stopped bothering me." Gaara answered.

Naruto raised a brow, "Why do you call it Shukaku? Does the Ichibi have a name?" Naruto asked.

Gaara's brow unfurrowed as he frowned slightly at Naruto, "Doesn't every living thing have a name?"

Naruto blinked before looking upwards in thought, "I wonder if the Kyuubi has a name…" he muttered.

Coughing lightly, Gaara brought Naruto's attention back to himself, "My question is; How are you unaffected by your demon while I am unable to be anything but the Jinchuuriki of Shukaku?" Gaara asked.

Naruto frowned, in thought, "Well, I know that my seal was done by the best seal master ever to have graced Konoha. I guess that could be it." Naruto pondered.

Gaara nodded, "That would make sense, so I need my seal modified." Gaara thought out loud as he uncrossed his arms and waved his gourd over to him.

Naruto grinned, "Good thing we have Aniki and Ero-sensei here." Naruto said as he 'stood' straight.

Gaara raised a brow, "Ero-sensei?"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, he's a seal master, the Sannin, Jiraiya." Naruto explained to the shocked Gaara.

"You know Jiraiya the Toad Sage personally?" Gaara asked with wide eyes.

Naruto nodded, "Sure do, he's Sasuke's sealing teacher." Naruto explained as he stretched, "I think I'm gonna take Baa-chan's advice and go to bed, I'm sooo tired." Naruto said with a yawn.

Gaara nodded, "Tsunade-sama knows that I will be sleeping minimally because of the Shukaku, she asked me to rest before keeping watch over the remains of the Sound Five." Gaara said as he stood up, taking Naruto's lead as the two left the room.

##################

**_Mindscape._**

"Welcome back brat, I haven't seen you in a while." The Kyuubi said as it looked down at Naruto.

Naruto nodded to the Kyuubi before looking down at the unconscious form of Juugo, lying on the ground of his mindscape.

Kyuubi chuckled as it noticed that Naruto's face was covered by the hood of his jacket, "Oh, what's the matter? Are you regretting your choice?" it asked in a mocking tone.

Kyuubi's chuckling abruptly stopped as it looked down at Naruto who was chuckling as well, "Regret? Why would I regret something like this?" Naruto said as he walked over to Juugo and stood above him.

The Kyuubi raised a brow at his host's attitude, "Oi, What's so funny?" the Kyuubi asked.

Naruto quietened his dark laughter and grinned before slamming his hand onto Juugo's head, "SOUL DRAIN COMPLETE!"

Juugo's eyes snapped open wide and he screamed his last as Naruto sucked his consciousness completely into his mind.

Naruto stood tall and took a deep breath as he assimilated everything from Juugo's life, since he was in his mindscape, it only took Naruto twenty minutes instead of twenty hours. Naruto opened his eyes at the end and his skin turned a dark grey, focussing on his right arm.

Naruto smirked up at the Kyuubi, "Well? What do you think?" Naruto asked as the arm that he did not wear his petal gauntlet on became covered in grey scales.

Kyuubi nodded in appreciation, he looked up in shock as a green pipe as large as Naruto's own chakra pipe began forming below his own, "What's going on?" it asked.

Naruto looked at Kyuubi with a slight frown, "What do you think? I'm naturally absorbing Nature chakra." Naruto said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Kyuubi's eyes widened, "So that ningen could absorb Nature chakra?" it asked.

Naruto looked up at the fox with a smug grin, "Oh yeah," he said before flexing his right arm in a show of strength.

The Kyuubi chuckled, causing Naruto to look up at it in wonder, "Hey fox, what's your real name?" he asked.

The Kyuubi's chuckling stopped abrubtly, "Why would you want to know something like that?" it asked suspiciously.

Naruto blinked, "Umm, cause it's polite?" he asked.

Kyuubi looked at Naruto with a fox smirk, "If you were really a master of the soul drain you'd remember soon enough." It said before turning away.

Naruto blinked, "Huh? What does tha-OOMPH!"

With a flick of one of the fox's tails, Naruto was flung from his mindscape into blissful sleep.

#######################

Jirobo opened his eyes groggily, he tried to sit up only to find himself chained to the bed he lay on, "Huh? What?!" he yelled as he began trying to rip his way free, only to stop as he remembered what happened.

He looked at his side and began crying at his lack of arm, 'What will I do now? Orochimaru-sama has no use for the weak.' He thought as he began to accept his oncoming death.

"Jirobo, you're awake."

Jirobo turned with wide eyed and stared at the ex-leader of the sound five, who sat casually on his hospital bed, only cuffed to the bed rail by one hand, "Kimimaro? What are you doing here?" he asked in confusion.

Kimimaro looked at Jirobo with his usual bored expression, "I am waiting, we were defeated and have now been captured by the Leaf village." He said, completely relaxed.

Jirobo began hyperventilating, "Wha-What?!" he yelled in fear.

"Calm the fuck down lard-ass."

Jirobo turned to see Tayuya, tied down like he was but with one hand free which she was using to click the nurse help button on the side of her bed, "Tayuya?" He gasped.

Tayuya frowned at her one-armed teammate, "Kimimaro's telling the truth, but no need to worry. You and I will be safe from Orochimaru soon." She said as she continued clicking the button.

Jirobo watched in confusion, "I, I don't understand."

Sand wrapped around Tayuya's hand and forced it away from the button as Gaara walked into the room, "I will explain what is happening." He said as he walked to the center of the room.

Jirobo stared at Gaara in confusion, "The Sand Jinchuuriki?" he turned to Kimimaro, "I thought you said we were captured by the Leaf?"

Kimimaro sat silent, so Jirobo made to demand an answer, only for a pile of sand to fly into his mouth.

The sand forced Jirobo to turn his head and look at Gaara, "If you interrupt me or use foul language," he said looking pointedly at Tayuya, "I will shove sand into your mouth to shut you up. And if you still do not follow my commands, I will cover your entire head in sand and force you to live for the next day with no senses." Gaara explained.

Jirobo slowly nodded and the sand receded from his mouth, letting Jirobo gasp for breath.

Gaara drew his sand back to his gourd before talking, "It is currently half past seven in the morning. At nine o'clock, Chunnin Squad Seven will come by and edit your Cursed Seals in the same way Sasuke has done to his own and he has done to Kimimaro. These are facts." Gaara explained.

Tayuya and Jirobo stared at Kimimaro, "What do you mean edit?" Jirobo asked.

Tayuya waved her one free arm, "What the fuck did he do to you Kimimaro-kun?!" she screamed.

Gaara raised a brow at the 'kun' suffix before filling Tayuya and Jirobo's mouths with sand. "I warned you both already." Gaara said before continuing with what Tsunade told him to explain to the captives, "As I said, Kimimaro's seal has already been edited and he has seen the truth behind Orochimaru's ways. As he was the first one awake, I asked him the same question that will be asked of you once the seal's influence is gone. Once I leave you may ask him anything you want, but Kimimaro-san, feel free to keep your silence if you so choose." Gaara said with a hint of respect for the Kaguya.

Kimimaro just nodded with a small bow before Gaara turned to leave, "Would any of you like to request a specific meal? From what I know from Naruto, hospital meals are 'Worse-than-a-demon's-shit'." Gaara calmly explained while making quotation marks with his hands.

Tayuya looked at Gaara's perfectly serious face with an incredulous expression, when Kimimaro spoke, "I would like plain rice and a miso." He requested.

Gaara nodded and pulled his sand from Jirobo's mouth, who hesitated before saying, "Ugh, BBQ pork?"

Gaara nodded before pulling the sand from Tayuya's mouth, he frowned at the girl's smirk.

"What else dipshit? I want a bowl of fucking RAMEN!"

#########################

Chapter end.

**Btw, Naruto's 'Flame Rasengan' has a similar appearance to the Kamehameha wave from Dragon Ball series, except it is pure fire chakra forming the rasengan and wind chakra that has been set alight with the fire that pushes the rasengan through the air. The rotation of the fire and wind chakra from Naruto's wind funnels are what let the rasengan hold its form over a distance.**

**Juugo was absorbed! Also, for the readers that wanted Naruto to learn some of Kimimaro's more advanced moves, I tried to set it up so that Naruto could learn some more things, and that Sasuke copied the actual 'dances' so that he may teach them to Naruto. Win-win :D**

**Please R&R! These next chapters will mostly be set up chapters and happy crappies, before something that was discovered earlier is finally looked into…**


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Average Konoha Autumn.

"Good to see you three, it's been a while." Jiraiya said as he hopped down from one of the trees into the clearing.

Naruto saluted with his right arm "Hey Ero-sensei." He said casually.

Jiraiya raised a brow as he looked over the three Chunnin of squad seven, 'Naruto's arm is grey, Sasuke has two new sealing capsules and Sakura's now wearing a set of earrings that look to be the same make of her bracelets…this seems interesting.' He pondered with a small smile.

"Hellooo, sensei?"

Jiraiya snapped out of his daydream, "Yes Sakura? What is it?" he asked.

She frowned, "What do you mean 'what is it'? You asked us to come here." She reminded.

Jiraiya blinked and smirked, "I got a little test for you guys, if you're successful then I'll be taking the three of you on a…mission."

The three Chunnin nodded, "So? What's the test?" Sasuke asked.

Jiraiya smirked, "Fight me one-on-one, I want to see the strength of you guys. No rules, just no killing strikes. Although if you set me up in a spot I would've died, you win. Same for me, who wants to go first?" he said with as his smirk turned to a grin.

The team looked at each other before standing in a position they learnt from Gai and Kakashi's many duels, "ROCK! PAPER! SCISSORS!" they declared as they thrust their hands forward.

Naruto frowned, "Oh damn." He muttered as he pulled his hand back, after all, paper covers rock.

Sasuke and Sakura faced each other and repeated the process while Jiraiya stared sceptically, 'The best Chunnin squad of Konoha…playing rock, paper, scissors with each other.' He thought with a sigh.

Sasuke smirked as he pumped his fist in the air, "Looks like I win," he stated with a smirk.

Sakura frowned, "Damn," she looked up at Sasuke and kissed his cheek, "Goodluck Sasuke-kun." she said as she jogged to the side of the field.

Sasuke turned to face Jiraiya, "So, Ero-sensei, you sure you don't want me to hold back a little?" he asked with a smirk as he reached down and tapped one of his sealing capsules with his pointer finger.

Jiraiya grinned as Sasuke's upper body disappeared in a poof of smoke, "Oh? A little over confident are we?" Jiraiya asked.

The smoke dissipated to show Sasuke stand casually, his umbrella open and resting on his shoulder, "Only one way to find out."

Sakura and Naruto sat down under a tree then Naruto yelled out to the two preparing for battle, "FIGHT!"

Instantly, Jiraiya shot forward at full speed as Sasuke blinked on his Sharingan to follow the movements. Jiraiya swung a high punch that Sasuke ducked under, Jiraiya hopped up to deliver a downward kick which Sasuke read with his Sharingan.

Sasuke dropped from his crouch into a backwards roll, he released his umbrella which blocked Jiraiya's kick as its handle stabbed into the ground.

From Jiraiya's vantage point, he couldn't see that Sasuke had moved from under the umbrella, so he was surprised when Sasuke was suddenly leaping over it and towards him.

Sasuke's initial kick was blocked by jiraiya's forearm and the two entered a bout of Taijutsu, Sasuke balancing on top of his umbrella as he tilted it back and forth to block and dodge Jiraiya's strikes.

Jiraiya was having fun for the first time in a long while, "Sasuke! You're actually keeping up!" Jiraiya said with a laugh before doubling his speed.

Sasuke's Sharingan began to spin as he read jiraiya's movements, he was now unable to dodge most of the attacks, but his blocking and deflecting still managed to hold off Jiraiya from getting any direct hits in.

Sasuke was using almost all of his concentration to just fend off the sannin, but he still managed to send small suggestions to Jiraiya's mind with his Sharingan.

Jiraiya smirked as he felt that his body suddenly wanted to drop low and sweep out the umbrella from under Sasuke, 'So, he's managed to force his Sharingan into my mind.' Jiraiya thought as he thrust a punch at Sasuke.

'Well, let's find out what his plan is then.' Jiraiya thought as he faked a punch at Sasuke, only to drop low and kick out at the post of the umbrella.

Sasuke quickly tapped some of his chakra into a release point on his umbrella. As Jiraiya kicked the post, a group of senbon shot out from the umbrella and into his chest.

Sasuke smirked until Jiraiya disappeared in a poof of smoke, "Substitution, damn." Sasuke muttered as he watched the log burn to the ground.

"FIRE STYLE: GREAT FIREBALL!"

Sasuke turned around and raised a brow at the giant ball of flames heading straight for him, "Really sensei? Using fire against an Uchiha?" Sasuke yelled sarcastically as he let the fire envelop him.

Jiraiya's eyes widened, 'Shit! I planned to hit him as he was dodging the damn thing! Why did he just stand there?'

As the fireball moved from Sasuke's position, the Uchiha was shown standing calmly, holding his umbrella out in front of him casually. Jiraiya blinked in amazement as he saw the burnt grass in the area's burn pattern forked out around Sasuke.

Jiraiya stood tall and began more hand signs, "WATER STYLE: GIANT VORTEX JUTSU!"

From the nearby lake, a large swirl of water shot out and flew at Sasuke, who held his left hand to his lips as he swung his umbrella, "FIRE STYLE: GREAT FANNED FLAME!"

Even though Sasuke used minimal chakra for his fire jutsu, the wind jutsu from his umbrella turned it into a small white hot tornado which made Jiraiya's jutsu evaporate on impact.

Jiraiya frowned as his vision was blocked by the huge amount of steam that was pouring from the jutsus' collision, 'Great, this squad is annoyingly good at fighting without sight.' Jiraiya thought as he crept closer to the steam cloud.

Jiraiya's eyes widened as Sasuke's kusawarigama shot from the mist, Jiraiya dodged the blade only for the chain to be yanked back and wrap around Jiraiya's arm.

Jiraiya scowled as he was yanked into the steam cloud, 'Crap.'

Jiraiya ripped his way free of the chain and span around on guard, "Now where would I be attacking from." He muttered.

Jiraiya smirked and felt the ground with his earth chakra, he felt someone approaching from behind him, 'Too easy.' He thought as he turned with a rasengan in his hand.

Sasuke dove at Jiraiya head first and connected with the rasengan, Jiraiya's eyes widened as 'Sasuke' burst into flames.

Jiraiya quickly focussed on putting the flames on his body out. Finishing that, Jiraiya began to turn only to once again have his upper body wrapped in chains, 'How did he do this without me feeling him through the earth?' Jiraiya thought.

Sasuke sped around Jiraiya, wrapping the man in chains even further before stopping in front of Jiraiya who starred in shock at Sasuke's hover board, "What the hell?" he asked in confusion.

Sasuke smirked as chakra pulsed through his weapon, "SEALING ART: CHAKRA ABSORPTION!"

Jiraiya tried to use a substitution, but to his shock, nothing happened, "Shit!" Jiraiya yelled as he stared at Sasuke, who was holding the tiger seal with a smirk.

Jiraiya frowned "Alright, you won Sasuke. Good work." He said as Sasuke suddenly dropped his stance while the steam was beginning to clear, "How'd you do that?" Jiraiya asked.

Sasuke smirked, "I have five propulsion seals and two anit-gravity seals scoured into my board, my personal fusion seals are keeping them together and balanced." Sasuke explained as he shook his chain once, letting Jiraiya free.

Jiraiya sighed and turned to face Sakura and Naruto, "Alright, Sasuke won his. Who's next?" he asked.

Sasuke boarded over to his team mates as they finished another round of Rock, Paper, Scissors. "I win!" Naruto declared as he shot to his feet.

Jiraiya sighed, 'Damn, this may hurt.' Jiraiya thought as he walked over to the center of the training field.

Naruto grinned as he landed, "So sensei, any rules?"

Jiraiya smirked and began talking before Naruto could change his mind, "No actual jutsu allowed from you. Only channelling chakra or chakra control and input."

Naruto frowned before his eyes sparkled, "Can I use elemental manipulation?"

Jiraiya shrugged, "Sure, but no jutsu!" Jiraiya ordered.

Naruto nodded, 'Hehehe, good thing sensei doesn't understand most of my techniques are manipulation itself.' He thought as he took a low defensive stance.

Sakura yelled out from the sidelines, "FIGHT!"

Seeing that Naruto had taken a defensive stance, Jiraiya attacked first with a straight punch.

Naruto smirked as his sight enhancement seal glowed, "UNIVERSE!"

Jiraiya suddenly stopped his charge and dove to the side as Naruto's fist impacted the ground where he stood, "What the hell Naruto?! I said no jutsu!" Jiraiya yelled as he rolled to his feet.

Naruto stood in the center of his small crater, "Ero-sensei, that was just a punch with a little extra chakra." Naruto said with a smirk as he created a rasengan, using only one hand, "And this is just chakra manipulation."

Jiraiya returned the smirk, "Yeah, I get it," Jiraiya said as he took a defensive stance, "Congrats on finally learning it properly."

Naruto's smirk grew as his arm began to turn grey, "RASENGAN!" Naruto yelled as his arm stretched forward just as Juugo's could.

Jiraiya's eyes widened at the lengthened appendage, he used a substitution to dodge the attack. Naruto frowned as the log was obliterated, "Hey Ero-sensei! You said no jutsu!" Naruto yelled.

Jiraiya stepped out from the tree line holding a tiger seal, "Yeah! No jutsu for you!" Jiraiya reiterated with a grin as he spat a fireball at Naruto.

Channelling wind chakra to the tubing in his legs, Naruto shot into the air over the fireball before whipping out a giant shuriken in each hand. He spun as he sent wind chakra into them, 'C'mon! I can mimic the upgrade blade!' he thought in self encouragement as the blades began to glow green.

Naruto pitched the blades at Jiraiya, who spat two mud balls at the blades in response, the wind upgrade on one blade was broken upon impact, but the second shuriken flew strong, cutting right through the mud ball and closing in on Jiraiya.

Jiraiya kicked the ground, "EARTH STYLE: EARTH SHORE RETURN!"

A small slab of earth stuck up from the ground, stopping the shuriken's momentum as it lodged itself half way through the wall, millimetres from Jiraiya's smirking face. Jiraiya formed more hand signs and placed his hands on the wall, "EARTH STYLE: EARTH SPEARS!"

Naruto held a hand up to his shoulder, 'Focus!' he thought as he moulded his chakra in the same way he did for his hidden bone blade.

Naruto's eyes opened alongside his smirk as he faced down the airborne spears, "DANCE OF THE SEEDLING FERN!"

Jiraiya's jaw dropped as Naruto used a sword of bone pulled from his shoulder to slash all of the earth spears away from him, though upon impact with the second last spear, the sword broke, showing that even though it was much faster than Kubikiri Bocho, it was nowhere near as strong, especially in comparison to Kimimaro's bones.

Naruto brought his grey arm up and let the final earth spear hit it, the impact pushed Naruto back through the air, but Naruto managed to halt the momentum of the spear and catch it, "How bout this!" Naruto yelled as he pitched the spear at Jiraiya using his adamantine strength.

Jiraiya dove to the side, letting the spear stab into the ground behind him. He rolled to his feet and turned to face Naruto, only to jump into the air to dodge Kubikiri Bocho flying through the air.

Jiraiya kept his eye on the sword as it moved under him, but the moment it moved past his sight, he noticed a shadow above his own and an intense heat from above him.

Jiraiya landed on his feet and looked up to see Naruto thrusting forward a red rasengan, "FLAME RASENGAN!"

Jiraiya used a substitution to appear far away from the impact zone, he stared in awe as the swirl sphere of fire dug into his previous position.

Naruto landed on the ground calmly and used his water manipulation to create water from the air, it splashed around him to put out the fires as Naruto casually faced Jiraiya, "I think you're not as strong as you think you are sensei." Naruto said with a chuckle.

Jiraiya just stared as Naruto's arm grew once again, grasping Kubikiri Bocho by the handle and swinging it at Jiraiya. Jiraiya used his arm plates to block the few swipes that were too difficult to dodge before he leapt up and kicked Naruto's grey wrist, hoping to break his hold on the sword.

It obviously didn't work when a grey hole appeared just up from jiraiya'a impact zone, "CHAKRA SHOT!" Naruto yelled as his attack launched.

'Jiraiya' was blasted through the stomach and he collapsed as stone to show he was but an earth clone as the real Jiraiya appeared behind Naruto and thrust a rasengan at his back, Naruto didn't really have time to counter-attack so he just ducked.

Jiraiya was caught off guard by the simple manoeuvre, so he stumbled slightly as Naruto stood tall once more, now inside Jiraiya's guard as he began to spin and expel chakra.

"KAITEN!"

Jiraiya was thrown around then far away towards a nearby tree, the attack had ripped his clothes and obviously caused damage as he impacted the tree.

Naruto starred with a frown as Jiraiya got up and earth chunks began to fall from him, Jiraiya smirked as he explained, "Earth style: Stone Essence." He said casually as he whipped out a kunai and ran at Naruto.

Naruto sheathed Kubikiri Bocho and released his dual hidden bone blades, he used them like kunai against Jiraiya who had drawn a second kunai to compensate.

The dual was going well for Naruto, who was using his lack of height to force Jiraiya to have to bend further to defend from the strikes. Until Jiraiya suddenly pushed away and threw the kunai forward, which Naruto sliced through with his bone.

Naruto suddenly whipped his hand forward and launched bone bullets at Jiraiya, who dodged with a substitution. Naruto sighed, "Ero-Sensei, no offence but don't you think I've won yet?" Naruto asked as he turned to face his teacher.

Jiraiya laughed as he walked into the open, "What makes you say that Naruto? I'm doing more than just holding my own." Jiraiya said with a chuckle.

Naruto twisted his face in annoyance, "Yeah, but if I could do jutsu I would've won this ages ago."

Jiraiya shrugged, "Fine then, you can use jutsu. But after this I need to know about your new rasengan." Jiraiya said as he took a defensive stance.

Naruto grinned and held one hand sign, "WOOD STYLE: SUDDEN GROWTH!"

Jiraiya froze as for the second time in his life, thorns stabbed into his back surrounding his spine, "What?! When did you put a damn seed on me brat?!" Jiraiya yelled as he tried to stand still, careful not to do any damage to the nerves in his spine.

Naruto grinned, "Just before I hit you with Kaiten, I dropped it into your pocket as I began spinning." Naruto explained as he pulled his chakra back, letting Jiraiya free.

Jiraiya sighed, "Alright, you win. I guess it's Sakura's turn then." Jiraiya said as Naruto hovered over to his teammates.

Sakura stood and the two teammates high-fived as they moved past each other, Sakura grinned as she skipped over to the center of the field, "Ready for me sensei?" she asked with a grin as she took the fourth stance of the Hummingbird Style.

Jiraiya frowned, 'I'm probably gonna lose this one as well.' Jiraiya thought as he raised his gauntlets and pulled off two bracelets.

Sakura's eyes widened, "Are they chakra weights sensei?"

Jiraiya smirked as he extracted the chakra from the bracelets, "Oh yeah, I've been wearing these since Minato gave them to me. A little over twenty years ago." Jiraiya said.

Sakura nodded with a worried frown, "So…you're actually much faster than you've always let on?" she asked.

Jiraiya nodded, "I'm a sannin for a reason, but unlike a certain female teammate of mine, I train constantly to keep my title." He said with a smirk.

Sakura blew out a nervous breath, "Then I guess it's a good thing I've mastered the scroll of the Hummingbird Style and the Four Flash Steps." She said as her feet began to glow with chakra.

Jiraiya twitched, "Well…this'll be interesting." He said before standing defensively.

Once again Naruto shouted, "GO!"

Sakura charged at Jiraiya at full speed, at least without RGS or her chakra skates activated, Jiraiya met her charge and threw a high punch.

Sakura spun to the side and kicked Jiraiya's extended arm to the side, Jiraiya used the momentum to throw a cross punch at Sakura.

With Sakura's foot already raised in the air from her kick, she charged her chakra, "CHAKRA HOP!" she announced as she pushed off the air itself and moved clear from Jiraiya's strike path.

Jiraiya fell off balance slightly, giving Sakura the chance to strike as she stood to Jiraiya's side, her claw appeared as she crouched lightly, "STREAK!"

Jiraiya tried to move out of the way but Sakura's strike was just a little too fast, her claw raked across his gauntlet that Jiraiya blocked with as she skid to a stop five meters away.

Sakura span to face Jiraiya, who was already holding a hand seal, "FIRE STYLE: SPITFIRE!"

Sakura's cheeks bulged and she spat a glob of mud at the ground, "MUD WALL!"

Jiraiya's small white flame impacted the mini wall that Sakura summoned; Jiraiya stood on guard and waited for Sakura to re-appear from her hiding spot. Only for his eyes to widen as the earthen wall flew towards him.

"SHOCKING FIRST BULLET!" Sakura's voice rang out as she kicked the wall at Jiraiya with the power of Radical Good Speed.

Jiraiya quickly held up a rasengan which tore through the wall, only for his eyes to widen once again as he ducked under Sakura's claw.

Jiraiya spent the next few minutes redirecting or blocking attacks from Sakura, 'Damn this girl's fast!' he thought as he ducked under another of Sakura's swipes.

Jiraiya send his chakra to his legs, "Toad hop!" Jiraiya said as he leapt high into the air and back away from Sakura.

Sakura frowned and swung her fist at the mid-air sannin, "WHIP FIST!"

Jiraiya reached out and grasped Sakura's extended glove, he pushed it aside as he fell to the ground, forcing Sakura to pull her arm back.

Jiraiya stood across from Sakura, he was panting heavily as he analysed her stance, 'She's much faster than I thought she'd be.' He thought.

Jiraiya took a deep breath while forming hand signs, 'How about her defence?' "TOAD ART: TOAD OIL BULLET!"

Sakura smirked as the high speed ball flew at her, centimetres before impact, Sakura disappeared completely and not even a blur was left behind.

Jiraiya's eyes widened as he felt a small scratch on his back, he turned to knock Sakura away only to see that she wasn't there.

Jiraiya glanced around, "What the hell?" he asked as he spotted Sakura sitting between her two teammates against the tree.

Sakura grinned, "I won Ero-sensei." Sakura said.

Jiraiya raised a brow, "What do you mean? I'm no-"

Jiraiya's mouth twitched before he realised he couldn't move, he was about to speak when Sakura slammed tape over his mouth. Jiraiya fell to his side paralysed as he looked up at Squad Seven, "Well sensei, the paralysis agent will wear off in about an hour, we win so cya later!" she said with a chuckle.

Jiraiya began trying to yell out through the tape as the three Chunnin began walking away, "MPH MHMMMM MH MHMMN MHHM!" Jiraiya yelled as anime tears poured from his eyes, 'I wanna learn that rasengan!'

####################

*Knock Knock*

Kimimaro looked up at the door and then at the clock, 'It's time.' He thought before facing the door once again, "Please come in."

The door opened to reveal Sasuke walking in first followed by Naruto then Sakura, the three stood in the center of the hospital room as Sasuke scanned the three inhabitants with his Sharingan.

There were a few moments of tense silence before Sasuke turned to Kimimaro, "You may get up." Sasuke said.

Bones grew from Kimimaro's wrist and shattered the handcuffs, he stood to his feet and bowed, greatly confusing Tayuya and Jirobo, who Kimimaro had told to be quiet unless addressed first.

"Kimimaro, I know you've made your decision and I thank you. Did you explain what's happening to your teammates?" Sasuke asked.

Kimimaro nodded and stood in a basic marshal stance, causing Sasuke to sigh, "Come on Kimimaro, you're one of us now, you can talk freely."

Tayuya and Jirobo stared at Kimimaro in shock as he began talking, "I apologise Sasuke-sama, but Gaara-san explained that until I leave this room I am nothing more than another prisoner." Kimimaro explained with usual blank expression.

Sasuke pinched his nose, "Don't call me 'sama'." He muttered as he walked over and sat down on the chair next to Jirobo's bed as Sakura came over and stood on the orange haired teen's other side, making him look back and forth between them nervously.

He scowled at the two looming over him, "What the hell do you want leaf." He growled, trying to seem tough though he knew it was less than pointless.

Sakura made two hand seals and they began to glow green as she ran them past the stump which was now Jirobo's arm, "Well, I managed to make a clean slash, so we might be able to get him one of those puppet prosthetics." Sakura said before leaning back and looking at jirobo's face with a rueful smile, "No hard feelings right?"

He looked at her as if she suddenly grew a second head, "What the fuck are you talking about?"

From the other side of the room, Tayuya muttered, "'A lady shouldn't use such foul language'" she mocked.

Jirobo's glare was interrupted by Naruto's own, "Don't look at her like that." He ordered as his eyes flashed red.

Jirobo looked down from Naruto's glare as Sakura began talking, "Well, I guess I should start with the offer."

Now having grasped Tayuya's and Jirobo's attention successfully, Sakura began with the offer Tsunade had offered Kimimaro, "Firstly, we would like to give you both something of trust. Would you let us do that?" she asked with a smile.

Jirobo glanced at Kimimaro while Tayuya asked the obvious, "What did you say to this Kimimaro?" she asked with a nervous frown.

Kimimaro smiled softly as Tayuya showed the side of her which got her a place among the sound five, "I agreed, and I do believe your earlier analysis upon of these seals of ours were correct."

Jirobo raised a brow in question while Tayuya smirked, "What analysis? What are you guys talkin' about?" he asked.

Tayuya glanced at Jirobo, "You wouldn't get it Fat-ass, basically the seal construct used for our curse seals hold at least two constructs more than what Orochimaru said they do." She summarised with a pout, "I could never get a good look at em because the only one whose curse seal was visible is Kimimaro. And Orochimaru didn't let me near anyone else except Kin." She muttered.

Sasuke raised a brow, "You know about the seal?"

Tayuya scoffed, "Of course I do, Uzumakis are seal users by blood."

Naruto flinched when Tayuya said 'Uzumaki' while Sakura purpose fully interrupted, "So, will you guys accept?"

Tayuya nodded straight away, "If Kimi here thinks it's a good idea I don't see why not." She said with a smirk while Kimimaro shot a dark look at her.

Sasuke couldn't help the chuckle that came from his lips, "Hmhmhm, Kimi?"

Kimimaro's glare turned to Sasuke, "Since we are now allies I do believe we should have a _friendly _spar in the near future." Kimimaro said with his eerily flat tone of voice.

Sasuke stopped chuckling, "Ugh, no that's fine." He said before coughing to hide how intimidated he felt.

"Oi, so what's this thing you're giving us?" Jirobo demanded.

Sakura smiled at him, "We're gonna fix your seals the same way Sasuke did to his own and Kimimaro-san's."

Jirobo frowned as he looked between Tayuya and Kimimaro, who both looked as though they had nothing against the idea. He sighed before nodding, "Alright, do it to me first." He said as he looked at Sasuke.

Sakura activated the claw on her left hand, causing Jirobo to tense up, but she only used her claw to cut the materials that were tying him down.

Jirobo sat up straight and stretched, he glanced down at his stump once again with a frown, "What do you need me to do?"

Sasuke stepped up and blinked on his Sharingan, "Just face the window, Otouto, you ready?" Sasuke asked with a smirk as he began to see the multiple sections and levels of the Jirobo's seal.

Naruto nodded as he placed a green hand on Jirobo's forehead, "I'm just gonna dull the pain from here." He explained to Jirobo who had tensed up at the pressure.

Sasuke began writing seals with his chakra, 'His is weaker than Kimimaro's, but he seems to have used it more often. Meaning this portion of Orochimaru's soul will be much more intact, I wonder if Naruto's been getting more of Orochimaru's memories and jutsus with each absorbed piece…' he thought as he wrote the last seal.

Sasuke pushed his seal over Jirobo's curse seal on his shoulder, "Here we go, SEALING ART: SEAL MODIFICATION!"

Jirobo gritted his teeth for the small flash of pain before Naruto's chakra took effect, reducing the pain to nothing more than a dull throb. Jirobo suddenly felt really energised, before suddenly sneezing out a small black blob that collided against the hospital wall.

Sasuke smirked, "There it is!" he yelled as he finished the modification, making Jirobo's seal have the same properties as Kimimaro's.

Naruto span and his arm turned grey as his hand shot forward, grabbing the small white snake and pulsing his chakra, "NINJA ART: SOUL DRAIN!"

With a small scream, the snake disappeared while Naruto stumbled and leaned against the bed next to Jirobo, who was gasping for air.

Naruto began to chuckle, "Wow, that's much clearer." Naruto muttered as his mind began to automatically align Orochimaru's knowledge and jutsu.

Jirobo just sat gasping at the sudden clarity in his head, 'Woah, what happened?' he thought as he looked out the window as if seeing the sun's rays for the first time.

Sasuke subtly used the slight reflection in the glass to stare into jirobo's eyes, implanting the simple thought: 'It was Squad Seven of Konoha who did this for me'.

Tayuya stared confused, "What the fuck was that white snake?" she asked as she stared at Naruto, hoping for answers.

Naruto looked at her and she gasped at the piercing look he gave her, it was in no way threatening, it just felt to her as though he was trying to see everything about her.

Sasuke stepped up to Tayuya as Sakura cut her restraints, "It was a portion of Orochimaru's soul." He explained calmly as Sakura helped Tayuya sit straight.

Tayuya was stuck in her thoughts between the 'soul' piece and Naruto's gaze as Sasuke began his jutsu, "SEALING ART: SEAL MODIFICATION!"

She was about to scream in pain when Naruto appeared in front of her, holding her hand with one of his and covering the pain with his medical chakra from the hand on her forehead.

Tayuya stared in silence at Naruto's obviously worried eyes as he stared right back, after a few moments Tayuya began to feel a glob rush up her throat.

Naruto ducked to the side and moved his hand from her forehead to the snake in a lightning fast manoeuvre, Naruto kept eye contact with her as he crushed the snake in his hand while absorbing it, "NINJA ART: SOUL DRAIN!"

With the cursed seals fixed, squad seven returned to the centre of the room to wait for any more questions before continuing with their own.

Jirobo was the first to turn to the trio, "So…now what?" he asked.

Naruto reached behind his and sent a small pulse of chakra into the seal on his sheath, with a poof of smoke, Naruto brought out three Konoha headbands as Sasuke began to explain, "Kimimaro already accepted our offer, he will become a Chunnin of Konoha the moment he steps out of this room. He will still be on probation of course, but that's not really up so us." Sasuke said as he held out a Konoha Forehead Protector to Kimimaro.

Kimimaro took the offered protector and put it on as Sakura picked up one of the three bags she had brought with her and held it out for him, "I personally picked this outfit for you, I tried to keep it similar to what you are used to but I did change it a little." She said with a smile as Kimimaro accepted the bag.

Kimimaro looked in the bag and smiled softly, "Thankyou Sakura-san, I will change into these now." Kimimaro said as he stepped to the side and into the bathroom.

Sasuke and Sakura stepped over to Jirobo to talk to him, letting Naruto finally approach Tayuya, he sat on the bed next to her and they both glanced at each other before looking at the floor.

Naruto sighed, "So, you're and Uzumaki too?" he asked.

Tayuya's eyes widened and her head snapped to face Naruto, 'He really is an Uzumaki?' she thought as Naruto sighed again and finished talking.

"Well, my name's Naruto Uzumaki. I inherited my name from my mother, Kushina Uzumaki. She was a survivor of the whirlpool massacre and previous host of the Kyuubi." He said before turning to match Tayuya's glance, "What's your story Tayuya?"

Tayuya swallowed nervously before speaking, "I'm Tayuya Uzumaki, I got my name from my biological father, Tayakushi Uzumaki…he came to the Hidden sound to try and save his best friend's sister, Kumiko Uzumaki. She was apparently captured and taken to the sound…" she trailed off in thought before returning to the matter at hand, "He traded his life for her freedom. Hoping that someday she'd find her family," Tayuya was crying lightly as she remembered the pain her father must have gone through, "But on the day of the trade, they killed her and took him prisoner, trying to force him to create more Uzumaki off-spring."

Naruto stared, imagining the ramifications of her words with horror, "They…the sound, you mean they…" he trailed off, unable to say the words.

Tayuya nodded, "Yes," she whispered before taking a deep breath and continuing, "After the first few times though, he managed to break free of their…capture. He raced away, only to be stopped by Orochimaru himself. My father…he took out Orochimaru's elite guard before falling to Orochimaru's hand." She explained before leaning back and looking up towards the ceiling with tears flowing from her eyes, "Up until this seal was taken off it seemed like the right thing to do… I mean, I thought that Orochimaru did the right thing." She whispered in shame as she began to collapse into a breakdown.

Feeling a warmth embrace her, she opened her eyes to see Naruto giving her a hug, he shushed her as he held her close, "It's okay, your father was a hero. Besides, it's too late to change anything now. The best we can do is move forward." He said as he held her close.

Tayuya nodded before whispering out the last of her story, "I had a brother and sister from the two previous…sessions. But when we were eight, Orochimaru gave us the curse seals. There is a one in ten chance you can die when you receive it…I was lucky I guess." She said as her tears began to finally slow, but her body still shook with sobs.

Naruto sat with small tears falling from his eyes, 'Her father was my mother's best friend…he tried to save my auntie.' Naruto thought with pride in his family.

Naruto turned at the sound of footsteps to see Jirobo standing to his feet with a Konoha headband wrapped around his remaining bicep, Sakura helping him up. Sasuke was approaching Naruto and Tayuya as Kimimaro stepped out of the bathroom.

Sasuke raised a brow in questioning, Naruto looked down at Tayuya, "Tayuya, would you like to meet my brother?" Naruto asked.

Tayuya looked up, "There're more Uzumaki?" she asked.

Naruto smiled, "Not exactly, but we do have family here in Konoha." Naruto said with a gesture to Sasuke, "This is my adopted brother, Sasuke Uchiha."

Tayuya looked up at Sasuke and nodded, "Yeah, the emo-fag that Orochi-pedo wanted." She muttered.

Sasuke twitched in irritation at the nickname while Naruto chuckled, "Hehehe, yeah you got it." Naruto said grinning, Tayuya looked up at Naruto and matched his grin with one of her own.

Sasuke shoved Tayuya's Leaf headband into Naruto's shoulder, "Damn Otouto, maybe I won't teach you those dances I learnt from Kimimaro." Sasuke said with a grunt.

Placing the headband on his lap, Naruto gestured to Kimimaro, "That's cool aniki, I got a Kaguya master here to teach me!" Naruto said with a grin.

Feeling some movement of his leg, Naruto looked down to see the headband was gone, he glanced up at Tayuya to see she had wrapped it over her brown cap then placed the cap back on her head, "Tayuya?" he asked with an expectant grin.

Tayuya scoffed as she stood up and placed a hand on her hip, "Yeah I'm a fucking leaf ninja, deal with it." she said before breaking into a smile.

Naruto stood up next to her with an answering smile as Sakura held out a bag for Tayuya, "Here's some clothes, if you want we can go shopping later to pick out a real outfit for the each of you guys." Sakura said with a smile.

Tayuya blinked before looking in the bag, "Umm, sure I guess." She muttered before waltzing over to the bathroom to get changed in privacy, pushing Jirobo out of the way as he was about to enter.

The door slammed in his face and Jirobo frowned as he slammed his fist on the door, "Hey! Tayuya! What the hell?!"

Naruto dragged Jirobo away from the door and pulled him over to the corner of the room, "Oi Naruto what are you doing?" Jirobo asked with a frown.

Naruto stopped dragging Jirobo and pulled a handful of seeds out of his pocket, placing them on the ground he made a single hand sign, "WOOD STYLE: POWER HEDGE!"

Jirobo blinked in shock as the seeds grew into a long and tall hedge which basically made a small room of plants, Naruto pushed Jirobo behind it while yelling, "Hurry up Jirobo! If ya need help though feel free to ask." Naruto said.

Jirobo scoffed, "Yeah right, I can handle getting changed with one arm ya damn brat."

Naruto chuckled light heartedly at Jirobo's words as he turned to face Kimimaro, Sakura and Sasuke, who seemed to be talking quietly.

Approaching them, Naruto asked the obvious question, "Whatcha guys talkin bout?"

Sakura smiled at her brother, "While we were gone on the mission, the 'Uchiha Flats' were finished. Some of the floors aren't yet liveable at the moment but within the week they'll be complete." She said.

Naruto raised a brow, "So why are you so interested in that Kimimaro?"

Kimimaro smiled softly, "We need a place to live, Sasuke offered for Jirobo and I to share a flat while Sakura would like Tayuya to move in with her."

Naruto's brows shot up as he turned to Sakura, "What does he mean Nee-chan?"

Sakura smiled softly, "I'll explain when we get home, after all there will be some people waiting there to hear the same thing." She said with a mischievous chuckle at the end.

Sasuke raised a brow at her behaviour, "Why are you acting so odd about it Sakura-chan? So what i-mph?" he blinked before scowling, realising she put tape over his mouth to keep him quiet.

Naruto just chuckled, he turned as he heard the bathroom door open, smiling as Tayuya walked out, "Ready to go Tayuya?" he asked with a grin as he held the bag for her.

She nodded and grinned while Jirobo stepped out from behind the hedge, clothed completely and bag in his hand, he smirked as everyone looked at him, "Let's get goin yeh?"

#######################

*Knock Knock*

Tsunade groaned as she looked at the clock on her wall, 'It's only midday?' she thought before clearing her throat.

"Enter."

The door opened and Tsunade's eyes widened as Danzo and Hiruzen walked in side-by-side, "What can I do for you sensei?" she asked, pointedly ignoring Danzo'z presence.

Hiruzen smirked while Danzo scowled, "Danzo here would like to request something, when I was Hokage, I was always against it. Just as I am sure you will be." Hiruzen said.

Danzo scowled, "Thanks a lot Hiruzen. Now no matter what I ask she will surely reject the idea."

Tsunade smirked, "Got that right Zombitch." She said with her personal nickname for the bandage wrapped man.

Danzo gripped his cane in anger as Hiruzen began to speak, "Actually Tsunade-chan, I think now is the right time to accept the request. Or at least part of it."

Danzo and Tsunade both looked at Hiruzen in confusion while the wheelchair bound man rolled over to Tsunade's desk, "May I?" Hiruzen asked with a gesture to the desk.

Tsunade nodded and stepped to the side as Sarutobi reached into one of the draws and pulled out everything in it. He grasped a pen from the table and used it to push something from underneath the draw, causing a false bottom to be found.

Tsunade's brow rose in shock as Hiruzen channelled his chakra into his pointer finger and pressed it to the seal hidden in the draw. Causing a distinctive pop noise to sound from the outside of the desk.

Danzo and Tsunade watched as another set of draws appeared from the side of the table, Sarutobi rolled around and picked up something from the top draw, he turned to Tsunade and placed the folder in front of her, "This is something that Danzo requested many years ago, I rejected the idea since at the time it could've been disastrous, but considering the new alliance, I can honestly say that this is the best time to do accept it."

Tsunade nodded and opened the folder, reading the contents her eyebrows rose, "Are you sure sensei? I think if this was done than it might only put strain on the still new alliance. Do we really want that?" she asked.

Danzo glanced at the folder and recognised it, 'Damn Hiruzen! That was my first application, ROOT was legal at that time so now the parts that will help me are void!' he thought with a frown before trying to calm himself and think of something to help his selfish needs, 'Maybe I should've accepted that offer from Orochimaru…there is still time.'

Tsunade nodded slowly as she finished reading the fine print, "Alright Danzo, you've made a solid argument in this request. But since you aren't the leader of ROOT anymore there will be some things we have to discuss for a change, in the mean time why don't I let Sensei handle this with you?" Tsunade said with a small smirk at her victory, not only over Danzo, but also over the fact that she just dodged a major paperwork load.

Sarutobi nodded and turned to Danzo, "I find no problem with that, do you Danzo?" he said while subtly tapping the side of his wheelchair.

From Tsunade's point of view, Danzo just seemed to hesitate for a moment before nodding, but what really happened was Danzo seeing Hiruzen using the old Anbu sign language to communicate to him.

Danzo's eye narrowed as he wondered what Sarutobi was up to, 'What does he mean, _its time for roots to grow_? Does he suspect me of my side mission business?' Danzo thought in speculation as he exited the room.

Sarutobi watched Danzo leave before turning to Tsunade, "By the way Tsunade-chan, this draw holds the only records concerning S-rank and higher missions. The only people who know about it are the Hokages and now Danzo."

Tsunade frowned, "Then why did you show it to him?" she asked.

Hiruzen smirked, "Tsunade-chan, if anything ever goes missing we will know for certain he is the one who took it. The fact that I acted so casual about it should let him believe that it is common knowledge, thus leading him to take a higher risk if he ever tries anything." He explained with a wise smile.

Tsunade nodded with a smile, "Well, thanks for the lesson sensei. I gotta finish this pile if I want a lunch break before Hana gets back." She said with a gesture to the few sheets to her left.

Sarutobi nodded with a smile, "What about your clones?" he asked.

Tsunade smirked and held her hands together in a seal, "KAI!" she exclaimed, dispelling the Genjutsu behind her.

From what previously appeared to be a view straight out to the village now appeared three shadow clones furiously doing much larger stacks of paperwork while facing the window. Tsunade smirked while she explained, "This gives the illusion to anyone who comes in, including diplomats or foreign ninja, that the village is being handled easily and fluently. Also it means I can have weekends off and a regular lunch break."

Hiruzen openly laughed at her reasoning as she re-activated the Genjutsu, "Well have fun with that Tsunade-chan, I have some missions to assign." He said with a chuckle as he exited the room.

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It was five in the afternoon and Sasuke stood with Dan and Tsunade atop a small platform of wood that Naruto had constructed, Tsunade raised her arms into the air to quiet the crowd in front of her.

"Welcome everyone to the opening of the new Uchiha district! Designed in its entirety by Sasuke Uchiha!" her announcement was met with cheers from the people in front of her attending the grand opening.

Tsunade waved her hands again for silence, "Sasuke has a few words to say to each of you before he opens the district!" she said as she stepped back, allowing Sasuke to step forward, his eyes glowing with his pride and his Sharingan.

People were quiet as the 'usually quiet' Uchiha looked over everyone in the audience, 'All these people are of the Leaf. They have trust and faith in me…I know I made the right choice by staying.' he thought with a light smirk as his eyes trailed over the Konoha twelve, his future wives and the ex sound nins sitting atop a nearby building.

He cleared his throat, "Thankyou everyone for coming! My name is Sasuke Uchiha! Chunnin of Konoha!" a cheer went up at Sasuke's proclamation, causing him to smirk again.

"As a Konoha resident, I personally went through some hard ships in life that no person should ever have to experience. And it is with all honesty I can say that there is no way I would've been able to stand here without the help of people in this village!" he said as he smiled at Sakura and Naruto.

"But I am not the only person who has experienced hardships! The village itself has received hardships, such as the invasion attempt of the traitor sannin!" he was met with yells about how bad Orochimaru was, "We have come out of the Shinobi Wars as victor!" he was met with cheers again, "And I can honestly proclaim that Konoha has seen suffering and has come out on top!" cheers grew louder and louder with each sentence until Sasuke went oddly quiet.

"Then why is it that I still see people suffering?!" Sasuke yelled.

The crowd went quiet at his sudden change in theme, but Sasuke didn't let that deter him, "While I was looked after as 'the last Uchiha' everyone had their eyes on me as if I was some kind of gift to the world! I had gotten used to the stares, but eventually I learned to see past them!"

"While everyone looked towards me, I noticed the few who didn't. The few who couldn't! Was I the only person to see the homeless be treated like they didn't exist?! Was I the only person to look at a child being beaten and see it for what it really is?!" he yelled as he looked towards Naruto.

"I saw things that people would sooner die than witness. I witnessed as a person did the impossible! So why couldn't the people who looked for hope, instead share their hope with those around them?! Those that needed help?!"

Sasuke raised his arms, "That is what I've tried to mould the new Uchiha district to resemble. We Uchiha are the fan that gives power to the Will of Fire! But right now there is only one of me, I need the help of the village to give life to those who need it! To share hope with those without it! To fight by those who'll accept it!" Sasuke paused as he took deep gulps of breath.

"Just like my new family did for me!"

Everyone was stunned into silence with Sasuke's speech, Sasuke held a hand up towards Sakura and Naruto, "Otouto, Sakura-chan. Please come down." He asked with a soft smile on his face.

Naruto stared in shock as everyone's eyes turned to him and Sakura, she grabbed his hand and pulled him to the edge of the building they stood on. Then the two jumped together to land beside Sasuke, who turned to the crowd again.

"My Sakura was the first woman in my life to remind me of how it is to feel again! I had become all but numb to the world until Squad Seven came together as one." he said as he grasped Sakura's hand, causing her to blush heavily as the crowd 'awed'.

Sasuke then turned to Naruto and held out his hand in welcome, "Naruto Uzumaki! My brother! Has the strongest Will of Fire in existence!" he said as he waved Naruto closer, "If there is anyone in Konoha who has experienced the meaning of the words pain, loss, confidence, power and justice. It is him!"

Finally, Sasuke stood with a hand on Naruto's shoulder and his other firmly holding Sakura's hand as well. He lifted his head to the crowd and let a true smile show, "With their help I have found my path in life! I have found my Will of Fire! This is why I urge you to reach out to your fellow villagers! You can save them just as they have saved me!"

"My family and I will rise with the fire! We will help the village prosper! We will bring the nations together! We are Konoha!"

At the end of Sasuke's speech, the whole crowd broke into loud cheers "KO-NO-HA! KO-NO-HA!"

Sasuke turned away from the crowd with a smirk to Naruto as he wrapped his arm around Sakura, "How was that?"

Naruto grinned, "Damn good Aniki!"

"Sasuke."

The three looked over to Dan and Tsunade, who stood by the new Uchiha gates. Dan held up an oversized pair of scissors as Tsunade gestured to a big red ribbon, "It's all yours!" Dan said with a grin.

Sasuke walked over and grabbed the scissors, he cut through the ribbon and the crowd cheered loudly as Tsunade stepped forward once again, "Sasuke and those he has already selected will enter with him first. In half an hour he has said the district will be open to the public! Especially the new market area!" her announcement was met with cheers as she followed Sasuke and the group into the district.

The gate was closed behind the group and Sasuke blew out a deep breath as he turned to face the group he had brought with him for first entrances, "Alright, first let's get everyone to their houses and establishments. Then I'll give a tour of the more important spots. But remember for those of you aren't going to work after, meet us back here in half an hour." Sasuke said with a smirk.

Naruto hovered into the air and began flying down the road, "This way!" he yelled behind him as everyone began to follow.

Arriving at the back of the district, everyone got a good view of the 'Uchiha Flats'. From a distance, you couldn't notice the flats unless you knew they were there in the first place. They were a matching colour to the wall of the village and had thirty stories, with the roof being in line with the wall of the village.

Sasuke waved forward the small group of people who will be moving in before he starts leasing houses, "Okay, Kakashi-sensei and Anko. You get the one that you requested, it's exactly where it was in the plans sensei so I'm sure you'll find it." Sasuke said as he gave a set of keys to Kakashi.

Kakashi gave an eye-smile as Anko latched onto his arm with a huge grin, "We won't hold you up, thankyou Sasuke." He said before they disappeared in a poof of smoke.

Jirobo and Kimimaro stepped up next, "Is this the place we'll be staying Sasuke-sama?" Kimimaro asked.

Sasuke sighed, "Stop it with the 'sama' thing. You guys will be on the second from the top floor, room number two. That's the window right there that leads into the lounge room." He said while pointing to a window on the eastern side of the building, "The window is unlocked if you'd prefer that entrance." He said as he placed the set of Keys in Kimimaro's hand.

The two bowed before running up the side of the building, Kimimaro opening the window so they could climb in.

Sasuke smiled as he turned to the next duo, "I must say I'm glad you accepted my invite." He said as he dropped the keys.

They landed in Teuchi's hand and he smiled, "Why wouldn't I accept? It's a great deal, C'mon Ayame." Teuchi said as he walked over to the main door of the complex.

Ayame kissed Sasuke full on the lips, "Thanks Sasuke-kun! We'll be working at the new noodle hut in ten minutes! We just gotta set these things down." Ayame said as she held up the storage scroll that Sasuke made especially for her.

Sasuke smiled and stole one more kiss before she walked after her father. He then turned and gave the last set of keys, "You get the best one, top floor number one." he said as he passed the keys to Dan.

Dan grinned, "Really? Tenten-chan and I get one of the four penthouse suites?" he asked.

Sasuke nodded, "Hey, you're the acting head until I take up the mantle, you deserve a good place to stay."

Tenten nodded, "Thanks Sasuke! Well be at the new weapons store as soon as possible!" she said before running up to Naruto and giving him a big wet kiss on the lips.

This made a lot of people look away with a blush on their face, except for a certain two. Hinata who was blushing bright red but smiling, and Tayuya who was staring wide eyed.

Tenten finally pulled back and laughed at Naruto's dumbstruck expression before running after her uncle.

Sasuke coughed lightly, bringing everyone's attention back to him, "Right, so now the main houses." Sasuke said as he ninja ran towards the 'old' district.

Coming to a stop, everyone noticed there was a strip of ten houses that were the originals from before the renovation. Sasuke began talking, "Alright, these are the largest family houses from the original district. I have kept these so that we may live in them. In this house," he gestured to the first house, "Will live Pikkon, Gaara, Naruto and I. While in this house," he gestured to the house across the road from the first, "Will live Sakura, Kin, Hinata and Tayuya. Any questions?"

Naruto raised his hand, "Yeah, um when was this done? Cause I didn't notice this big of a change."

Hinata patted Naruto's shoulder comfortingly, "You were gone on a four day mission. Most of it was already done before then but all the final touches were done while you were saving Sasuke." She explained with a smile.

Sasuke smirked at Naruto's facial expression, "Do you guys want to go in and set the last of your things down? I paid for a D-rank mission for the majority of the stuff to be moved so now it's only the things you have on you."

Quickly, the seven people Sasuke had pointed out went inside while Sasuke turned to the last people, Tsunade, Jiraiya and Hiruzen. "The shopping district will be equalling approximately three quarters of the village's main market centre's finance on the average month. Thus financing the homeless shelter for generations to come." Sasuke explained as the four of them stood at the back of the district and pointed out to the shops.

Jiraiya coughed, grasping Sasuke's attention, "So what about the shrines, training grounds and this shelter I've been hearing about?"

Sasuke smirked, and he leapt up to the top of the new lookout tower in the Uchiha district, which could see from wall to wall of the village. Jiraiya and Tsunade grabbed opposite arms of Sarutobi's chair and jumped up behind him, landing safely as Sasuke began pointing out the subject points, "The shrines are in the same places they always were, but now they're also suited as a tourist attraction. The training grounds are to the right of the district, and between the shopping district and the grounds is the homeless shelter." Sasuke said whilst the four looked around.

Hiruzen nodded with a smile, "Sasuke, if you ever retire from being a ninja I would like to hire you for architectural design."

Sasuke smirked at the praise before leaping back to the ground, the three others following after him, "Everyone should be in place by now, and the other shopkeepers and workers are already prepared for tonight's business. Let's head back to the gates okay Sasuke?" Tsunade said with a smile as she placed a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder.

Sasuke smiled and nodded, "Yeah, let's go."

###########################

Naruto opened the door and the three boys nodded appreciatively at the large size downstairs.

Pikkon chucked his bag at the bottom of the stairs and looked around as Naruto and Gaara did the same, "This is pretty cool, in a single space is the entire living area." He said as he turned in a circle.

Naruto sat down on one of the couches and stretched, "Man this is comfy!" he explained before yawning.

Gaara smiled softly and opened the back door he looked out over the yard and noticed that this was the house that lead directly to the lake, he raised an arm and some of the sand surrounding the lake moved in response. 'Sasuke really thought of everything.' Gaara thought.

Hearing a crash inside, Gaara turned around and looked into the house only to sigh. He walked in past Naruto who was staring at Pikkon in shock, "What the hell Pikkon?!" Naruto yelled out.

Pikkon lay under the fridge, barely holding it off of him, "H-help!" he gasped.

Naruto sighed as he easily put the fridge back into place using one hand, "What the hell were you doing?" he asked.

Pikkon stood up and smiled sheepishly, "Well, I umm…thought I saw a spider." He muttered under his breath.

Naruto stared at Pikkon incredulously while Gaara just blinked, "Pikkon…that explains nothing." Gaara said with a frown.

Naruto sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Pikkon…just shut up and let's get going. It's probably time anyway." Naruto said as he walked out the door, Gaara and Pikkon with him.

###################

"Woah, this place is a fuckin palace." Tayuya said as she walked around the large downstairs area, which was a reflection of the boy's house.

Hinata flushed bright red, "T-Tayuya-chan, don't you think that's a little, umm, inappropriate?" she squeaked out.

Tayuya raised a brow, "What are you, part mouse?"

Kin placed a hand on either girls' shoulders, "Sorry Hinata, but this is just the way Tayuya has learnt to live. Tayu-chan, try to tone it down." Kin said with a smile before carrying her small bag filled with sealing scrolls up to her room.

Sakura smiled, "Want me to take yours up too?" she asked, although she already had picked up both Hinata's and Tayuya's bags.

Hinata shook her head, "No thankyou Sakura-chan I can do it." Hinata said, trying to help out.

Sakura was already walking up the stairs, "Na just relax down there you two, get to know each other I got this."

Sakura and Kin disappeared up the stairs and Hinata felt very awkward around Tayuya, who obviously didn't notice, "Hey Hinata was it? Why don't we talk or some shit?" Tayuya said as she dragged the other girl over to one of the couches.

Hinata blushed at Tayuya's swearing, "Wha-what about?"

The two sat on the couch and Hinata picked up on Tayuya's sudden change in posture, 'In fact, even her mannerisms have changed…was that an act before?' Hinata thought.

Tayuya sighed and leant back, "So…Hinata Hyuuga." She started, catching Hinata's attention.

"Yes?"

"Well, Naruto-kun said that I could really trust you…and umm, well that if I should talk to anyone about…stuff, it should be you." Tayuya said nervously before growling at herself, "Fucks sake why is this so damn hard."

Hinata blushed again at Tayuya's language, before realising that Tayuya was trying to be open with her, "O-of course Tayuya-chan, you can talk to me about anything." Hinata said with an angelic smile.

Tayuya smiled softly, if not uncomfortably, "….Yeah, thanks…maybe we can try again next time." Tayuya said as she stood to her feet, back in her tough bravado.

Hinata blinked at the sudden change, "Umm, okay then?" she asked.

Tayuya grinned, "Good!" she yelled as she pulled Hinata to her feet than began dragging the girl to the front door by the hand.

Tayuya stopped by the bottom of the stairs, "Oi bitches! We're gonna be late so hurry the fuck up!" she said with a wide grin as she continued to pull the now bright red Hinata along.

Tayuya kept going and left the door open as the two exited, "D-don't you think we should wait for them?" Hinata asked.

Tayuya laughed, "Naa, they'll catch up." She said with a laugh.

Hinata nodded and couldn't help but smile at Tayuya's laugh, "O-okay."

Tayuya grinned at Hinata, "I think this'll be the start of a beautiful friendship!"

#######################

Chapter End.

**Not much happened this chapter, but I wanted to lock in the whole 'Family' thing for the Uchiha clan, as well as set up some things for the end of part 1.**

**Next chapter should be the final chapter before the conclusion, thanks to everyone for reading :D Please R&R!**

**p.s. you may have noticed in the summary I've removed Tayuya from Naruto's harem, but I still left the question mark there. I am like 90% sure it'll still be Tayuya but on the slight chance my story takes an unexpected turn of something, I don't wanna be wrong.**


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Surprises and Spies.

Sasuke stood on the wall of the Uchiha district and watched with a smile as villagers began slowly filtering in.

"So, this how you thought it would be Aniki?" Naruto asked from next to him.

Sasuke turned to his brother and nodded, "It's exactly what I hoped for."

Naruto grinned cheekily, "Glad to hear it!" he exclaimed as he hovered into the air.

Sasuke smirked and threw a sealing capsule to the ground, in a poof of smoke, Sasuke appeared standing on his hover board, "Then let's go, we got ladies to look after." He said as he and Naruto travelled through the air towards the inner wall.

####################

"You know, I'm pretty sure Naruto-kun didn't want me to come with you guys." Tayuya said with a frown as Tenten dragged her and Hinata around the outer area of the food stalls.

Hinata just smiled as Tenten suddenly ran up to one of the stalls, "E-even if he didn't plan for you to come, he'd be h-happy you're here with us." Hinata said softly as Tenten reappeared.

"Guys! I got dango!" Tenten said as she held out a handful of sticks to each of them.

Tayuya blinked in shock at Tenten's exuberance, "Uhh, thanks buns." She said as she grasped her share.

Tenten raised a brow, "Buns?" she asked.

Tayuya raised her hand and poked one of Tenten's hair buns, "Yeah, buns."

Tenten blinked a moment before shrugging, "Meh, I can get used to that." She agreed before munching on her dango.

Hinata smiled, 'That was lucky, I thought they might get into a fight or something.' She thought before taking a small bite from her dango, "Naruto-kun said he'll f-find us wherever we are, so what do you girls w-want to do?"

Tayuya smirked at Hinata's timidness, "What's wrong princess?"

Hinata blushed, "I-I'm not a p-princess," she said looking down at her feet.

Hinata gasped as she suddenly felt someone wrap an arm over her shoulders, she looked up to see Naruto moments before he gave her a kiss.

Pulling away, he grinned, "You're my princess," Naruto said before giving her another kiss on the head.

Tenten pouted, "What about me Naruto-kun?" she asked cutely.

Naruto smiled and reached out, resting his hand on the back of Tenten's head, he pulled her close and gave her a slow kiss as well.

As Naruto let go of her, she stepped back with a smile on her face, only to land in the arms of another Naruto.

Tayuya looked between the two Naruto's, "The fuck is this?" she asked before suddenly feeling a weight on her shoulder as well.

Tayuya turned around to come face-to-face with a third Naruto, "Alright, I've been mind-fucked or something, I can't tell the clones apart."

The Naruto holding Tenten smirked, "Yeah, that's the point. You see, a wood clone is in effect another version of me. So I will spend all of tonight with each of you."

Hinata smiled and kissed her Naruto on the cheek, "That's sweet of you Naruto-kun." She said quietly.

The Naruto with his arm around Tayuya grinned, "So, who wants to do what first?"

Tenten shrugged before wrapping her Naruto in a hug, "I thought you had special plans?" she asked.

Tenten's Naruto hugged her back, "We do, we just wanted to know if there was anything in particular you guys wanted." he said with a smirk.

"I th-think I speak for the three of us when I s-say, 'surprise me.'" Hinata said with a smile up at her Naruto.

Hinata's Naruto smirked, "Good plan, alright we'll see you all later then."

The three Naruto's walked away with a girl, escorting them to different nights out…

#######################

"I don't get it Sakura-chan, why are we waiting here?" Kin asked as her and Sakura leaned against the outside of the inner wall.

Sakura shrugged as she watched all the civilians run around the new shopping district, "This is where Sasuke-kun asked us to meet him, said he had some special plans for us."

Kin raised a brow and was about to ask when the two heard a humming noise, they looked up to see Sasuke as he was in midair sealing his board back into its capsule.

Landing in front of them, he turned and smiled softly, "Sorry, I took so long. Are you two ready?" he said calmly as he held out his hands.

Instantly, the two girls were latched onto an arm each, ""Yes Sasuke-kun!"" they chanted in unison causing Sasuke to chuckle.

Within moments, the happy trio were walking towards the north of the Uchiha district, the two girls happily trusting Sasuke and his plan for the night.

######################

"A bakery?" Hinata asked with a blink of her wide eyes.

Naruto grinned, "Actually, I've got us set up near the roof of the bakery. I just thought since you like cinnamon rolls so much, we can get them warm from here." Naruto said taking Hinata's hand and leading her into the busy establishment.

One of the working attendants smiled, "Ah! Naruto-san! Come this way!" she said with a large smile.

Naruto nodded and escorted Hinata after the attendant, who opened a doorway for them as she began talking, "Everything is as you requested, we put you on the higher balcony. Is that okay?"

Naruto nodded, "It's perfect! Thanks a ton." Naruto said with a smile as he pulled Hinata up the stairwell.

Hinata smiled seeing Naruto so excited, "W-who was she Naruto-kun?"

Naruto paused in front of a door and smiled at Hinata, "She used to live on the southern district, she was in the slums since she had no home. Sasuke and I gave her a home and a job so she's very happy to work here." He explained.

Hinata's eyes widened, "Th-that's very kind of you two."

Naruto grinned and stepped behind Hinata, he hugged her around the waist and placed his chin on her shoulder, "Enough about that, tonight is about us." he said as he reached forward with one hand and opened the door.

Hinata gasped as her and Naruto stepped out onto the balcony, it was a comfortably sized set up. A small round table with a white cloth covering it sat in the centre of the balcony and on it a single candle was lit surrounded by covered dishes. The view from the balcony showed the whole of the Uchiha market district and in the distance the sun making its final decent.

Naruto walked Hinata over to a chair and pulled it out for her with a smile, "Hina-chan."

Hinata blushed with a small smile as she sat in the offered chair, moments later Naruto was sitting opposite to her and he began lifting the covers off some of the plates. Hinata smiled at the wide assortment of foods, "N-Naruto-kun, how did you get all of this?"

Naruto smiled as he began serving food to their plates, "A lot of the people that are staying at the shelter were offered jobs and almost everyone said yes. They're happy to have a purpose in life so they feel good to give back. They're exactly the kind of people Sasuke was talking about in his speech." Naruto explained with a grin, "Also, they kinda feel like they owe us a lot so they've gone out of their way for this."

Hinata smiled softly as Naruto passed her a set of chopsticks, "This is wonderful Naruto-kun, th-thank you for this." She said before taking the first bite.

Naruto smirked, "Anything for Hina-chan." He said with a wide grin.

Hinata smiled in return, "I forgot to ask, h-how is your new sage training going?"

Naruto's grin became a smirk as his eyes took a slightly dark look, "It's nearly perfect, the snake's memories have made it much easier to get used to." He said.

Hinata smirked in a very un-Hinata moment, "So…have you mastered the snake tongue technique?" she asked with a minor blush.

Naruto paused in his eating and blinked in astonishment, "Umm, I think I've been hanging around Ero-sensei too much." He muttered before shaking his head, trying to get the perverted thoughts to exit his mind.

Hinata bit her lip nervously and reached to grasp a cinnamon roll from Naruto's plate, he stared as she brought it to her lips, "W-what were you thinking about," she whispered before she licked the top of the roll, "Naruto-kun?" she asked as she fluttered her eyelids.

Naruto flushed as red as Hinata usually did, "H-hey, don't act like that, you have no idea what you can do to a guys' imagination." He said as he leaned forward to hide his… 'tent.'

Hinata chuckled quietly as she began eating the cinnamon roll, "S-sorry Naruto-kun, I'll try _harder _next time." She said with a cheeky smile and accompanying blush.

Naruto was at a loss for words at Hinata's actions, "Uhh, huh." He mumbled before swallowing heavily.

Hinata placed the other half of the cinnamon roll on her plate before sitting back once more, "S-so, your techniques?" she asked innocently.

Naruto blinked at her sudden attitude switches before his eyes widened in realisation, "Oh, right. Well with every piece of Orochimaru's soul I've received, I've learnt one more technique. After the initial three of course." Naruto said before delving into theories and jutsus he now understood.

Hinata smiled as she watched Naruto talk, 'I love when he gets like this, so eager to learn something new.' She thought before her mind flashed briefly to the semi-dark look he made earlier, 'Then again, something about the way he looked then,' she blushed heavily, 'I really like that look in his eyes.' She thought before refocussing on Naruto's words.

Naruto had grabbed one of the napkins and had just finished drawing some kind of gate on it, "…called the Rashomon Gates. There are a total of five gates but Orochimaru himself only had access to two at the time he gave the mark to Jirobo, who was the most recent to receive the mark." Naruto trailed off as he glanced up at Hinata, who was staring at him dreamily.

Naruto raised a brow, "Hina-chan?" he asked, thinking he had bore her.

Hinata's smile increased, "Yes Naruto-kun?"

He scratched the back of his head, noticing the odd feeling of not having his sword on him for once, "I'm not boring you am I?"

Hinata shook her head, "N-not at all, I am c-curious about one thing though." She said.

Naruto nodded and smiled, "Ask away,"

She rested her head on the palm of her hand as she looked at him, "It's about the C-Clan Restoration Act. S-since Tayuya is here, does she fall under the act as well? Or is it annulled or something?"

Naruto sighed, "No, the act doesn't affect women of a clan so that they aren't forced into marriages. And since she is a woman the part concerning me is still in effect." Naruto explained, "Sorry Hinata-chan."

Hinata shrugged, "P-Please don't apologise, it's not your fault in any way at all. I'm glad that she was saved." Hinata said with a smile before tilting her head curiously, "Just how close are y-you and Tayuya related anyway?"

Naruto smiled, "Tayu-chan and I talked about that, the father of hers was actually in love with my mother. If he's the person mom mentions in her diary, then they were from opposite branches of the clan." He explained.

Hinata blinked in thought, 'Tayu-chan?' "Your mother's diary?" she asked.

Naruto nodded, "Didn't I tell you? Her diary was in a containment seal in the back of my dad's journal. Some strange things written in there." Naruto mumbled.

Hinata nodded, "S-so…it wouldn't be wr-wrong for Tayuya to like you like Tenten and I do right?"

Naruto's eyes widened, "Tayu-chan likes me?" he asked.

Hinata shook her head, "N-no, I'm just saying that clans usually do inter-marry. W-we hyuuga do it a lot apparently…" Hinata trailed off, nervous of what she was saying.

Naruto slowly nodded, "I guess I get it…but honestly, I don't know how to go about doing…that." He said, unsure of how to phrase what he was thinking, "I mean, I'm barely managing to be with two women, I don't know what I'd do with a third." He said before rubbing his head, hoping to think of something.

Hinata hummed, "S-sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up." She said with a smile before holding Naruto's hand across the table, "L-let's just focus on us right now, o-ok?"

Naruto nodded, "Sure Hina-chan," his eyes lit up, "Oh, yeah. How has the training with your dad come along?" he asked while squeezing her hand.

Hinata smiled once more, "According to father, I am g-going a little slower than usual. But I am m-much more accurate than m-most."

Naruto grinned, "That's great! How is he doin anyways?"

Naruto grinned as Hinata began to talk about her new training, her father was helping her develop her own style after she had shown him her first original move; Protective Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms.

##########################

Tenten blinked and rubbed her eyes, "Did you put me in a Genjutsu?" she asked.

Naruto grinned, "Nope."

Tenten glanced at him then back towards the restaurant they stood in front of, "Then how is there an Akamichi BBQ in the Uchiha district?"

Naruto shrugged, "Aniki had some seals to help the Akamichi clan grow stronger, in return all he asked was that they make an agreement with him." He said as he took her hand and the two began to walk towards the restaurant.

Tenten raised a brow as Naruto waved to one of the workers, "What agreement?"

Naruto smirked, "Y'know, knowledge on this stuff was traded for knowledge on that. Sasuke gets one of the BBQ franchises and the Akamichi get some stuff in return."

The two were being shown to their seats as Tenten frowned, "Is it possible for you to be more vague?" she said sarcastically.

Naruto burst into laughter, "Maybe!" he said with a grin.

Tenten rolled her eyes while she smiled just as the waiter stopped by a table near the largest window, "Here's your seat. I'll send someone to come get your order soon, would you like a drink while you wait?" he asked.

Tenten and Naruto sat opposite each other at the table and she looked out the window with a smile as Naruto ordered, "A pot of Ginseng tea please, two cups?"

The waiter wrote down the order and nodded before clicking his pen, "I'll have that sent over." He said before walking off.

Naruto turned to talk to Tenten, but he stopped himself from breaking the silence as he saw her face glowing from the light outside the window. He didn't realise we was caught staring until Tenten nudged his leg under the table, "Hey Naruto-kun, you in there?" she asked playfully.

Naruto smiled softly and poked her back with his toe, the two kept their legs entangled as they began to talk.

"Ten-chan, I got a question I've been meaning to ask you for a while." Naruto said with a smile.

Tenten nodded, "Sure, ask away."

The two paused in their chatter as their drinks arrived, Naruto began filling each of their cups as he asked, "How did you learn to use pretty much any weapon to near perfection?"

Tenten pretended to be offended, "What do mean 'near' perfection?"

Naruto immediately back pedalled, "N-no I mean, umm, how did you learn to fight with pretty much any weapon you're given?"

Tenten giggled and picked up a normal knife, she flicked it around in a way which suddenly made it seem very threatening, "I'm not sure, Uncle Dan says that my dad had this weird thing too. It's how he met mum, she ran the Higurashi weapon shop until Dan took over." Tenten explained.

Naruto hummed as Tenten set the knife back on the table, "Do you think you can do it with any weapon? Even one you just got?" he asked as his eyes sparkled in mischief.

Tenten raised a brow and smiled as Naruto began rub their legs together playfully, "It depends really, I can get most ranged weapons straight away. But some close up weapons take a couple of times to master."

Naruto grinned, "Good to know." He muttered mysteriously before a waitress stepped up to the table.

She smiled as she took out a notepad, "What can I get you guys?" she asked.

Tenten was about to order when Naruto placed his hand on the menu, "A regular serving of the salted pork belly, and the standard side plate." He said with a wink towards Tenten, "And a small serving of the soy beef." Naruto requested as he passed the waitress the menus.

The waitress bowed, "Okay that will be out soon. Call me if you need anything." She said with a gesture to the service button next to the in-built stove-top.

Naruto smiled as the lady walked away, Tenten turned to him with an inquisitive look, "How did you know my favourite was the pork belly?" she asked as she took a sip of her drink.

Naruto shrugged with a smirk, "How did I know your favourite drink was a ginseng tea?" he asked, causing Tenten to blink and glance down at her drink.

Tenten smiled again, "Okay, how did you know that?" she asked as she placed her drink back on the table.

Naruto took a sip from his own drink and played with Tenten's feet again, "I know these things Ten-chan. Just trust me when I say something is true or not." He said with a lopsided smile.

Tenten pouted cutely and tilted her head to the side, "How come I feel like there is more to that than there sounds?" she asked.

Naruto grinned, "Just remember that alright?" he said before leaning back into the cushion of his chair, "So Ten-chan, every time we've gone out in the past has either been really short or with Hina-chan." He said before smirking, "I'm all yours for the next few hours so I want to know all about you."

Tenten smiled softly and hid behind her cup, "Well, what is there to know?" she asked.

Naruto's smirk held strong, "Let's see…what's your favourite colour?"

Tenten smiled and looked at Naruto's eyes, "Ocean Blue."

Naruto grinned as he put together her implications, that her favourite colour was the colour of his eyes, "Favourite hobby?"

Tenten smirked, "I thought these were the things that you 'just knew'?" she asked playfully.

Naruto grinned, "Your favourite hobby, is sharpening the tools in your uncle's shop." He said.

Tenten blinked in shock, "How did you…?"

He shrugged, "I just know these things, but I like hearing them from you more." He said as he moved his leg up a little higher than before.

Tenten blushed lightly, thinking that Naruto was implying something more, "R-really?" she gasped.

Naruto, not realising his leg had moved, smirked lowly, "Oh yes Ten-chan, your voice is a melody that little can compete with." He said, "I wonder what other sounds your voice can make?" he said flirtatiously.

Tenten blushed bright red and pulled her leg free of the entanglement, before using it to rub _much_ higher on his inner thigh, "W-well, we could easily find that out." She said in a sultry voice, "After all, ninjas are legally _adults_." She said.

Now it was Naruto's turn to blush as his body started to react to Tenten's words and actions, "Ten-chan," he moaned quietly before placing a hand on the leg that Tenten had basically on his lap, "You have no idea how much I'd enjoy something like _that_, but maybe we should wait a few more years until we begin…_restoring_ the Uzumaki clan ne?" he said as he held Tenten's leg comfortably and lovingly.

Tenten blushed, and the look between the two of them was interrupted as the waitress placed their food between then.

"Is that all for now?" the waitress asked.

Naruto nodded and glanced at Tenten, who nodded back to him, "Yes that's it for now, thanks."

The waitress nodded and left as Naruto flipped the meat onto the BBQ grill, "So Ten-chan, how would you like your feast cooked tonight?" he said with a toothy grin.

#####################################

"HOLY FUCK THIS IS HIGH!" Tayuya screamed from her place sitting on Naruto's shoulders.

Naruto laughed as he stood in midair, he was above the height of the Hokage monument, floating over the centre of the village in the near-night sky, "Do you want to go down Tayuya?"

Tayuya shook her head with a smile as she held onto Naruto's raised hands for support, "Hell no, this is amazing!" she said as she watched the sun dropping over the mountains in the distant west.

Naruto smiled at what was now an almost common view for him, 'I hope she'll be happy here in the leaf.' He thought as he noticed a small flock of birds to their right.

Naruto smiled, "Tayuya, slide back down will ya?" he asked as he slowly let go of her hands.

Tayuya nodded before widening her leg's grip on Naruto's head, she slid down his back and caught herself in a piggy back position against Naruto's cupping hands, "What's the plan Whiskers?" she asked.

Naruto smirked at the nickname, his mind flashed back to Kiba for a moment before he refocussed on the girl in his grasp, "Just keep quiet, listen and look." Naruto said as he flew up into the air and towards their right.

Tayuya looked up only to gasp softly with wide eyes as the aligned themselves in the middle of a flock of birds, Naruto was horizontal in the air like the birds so Tayuya slowly sat up straight into the air.

They weren't going too fast, so Tayuya could see the triangle of birds clearly. She turned to her left as one bird squawked at them, Tayuya smiled and waved before Naruto suddenly began to turn downwards.

Tayuya gasped and gripped Naruto tightly as the two began to freefall, Tayuya looked around as the whole world was turned upside down and they span slowly through the air. 'Wow…' she thought with a small smile before feeling a little too dizzy and closing her eyes.

Feeling them balance out again, she opened her eyes to see Naruto looking over his shoulder at her worriedly, "Are you ok? I didn't make you sick or anything did I?" he asked.

Tayuya shook her head and lessened her grip, "Nope," she said, popping her lips on the letter p, "Just a wave of dizziness." She explained before looking around at their new location.

They were in midair above a large building with a larger yard. From her point of view, she could see it was a three or four story building with a basic training grounds and a track field.

"This is the Konoha Ninja Academy," Naruto explained, "This is where I learnt to be a ninja for the leaf, obviously."

Tayuya smiled, imagining a tiny Naruto running the track, or training shuriken. Naruto spun in mid air and began slowly flying forward.

Not twenty seconds later, Naruto nodded, indicating a building ahead of them, "This was my old apartment, I lived on the top floor. Sandaime-Jiji gave it to me so I could always see the Hokage monument through my window." Naruto said while turning in the air so Tayuya could see his old view.

Tayuya smiled as the sun's setting rays bounced off the monument, imaging seeing the sunrise over it every morning as Naruto must have many times before.

Naruto flew one block before hovering above a small bridge and pointing to a small stand, "That's Ichiraku Ramen, or at least it used to be." Naruto said with a smile, "That was the first place I was accepted for who I am." He said.

Tayuya was pulled from her musings of the stand as she heard Naruto's faint words, "For who you are? What do you mean?"

Feeling a sliver of harsh chakra, Naruto turned in midair before rising into the air and flying back to the center of the village. He came to a stop and Tayuya was about to ask again when he began talking, "I was born on the day of the Kyuubi attack. A lot of the villages saw me as something to take their anger out on when I was younger, since they thought me to be the reincarnation of the Kyuubi." He explained before sighing, "I guess in a way there fears were justified."

Tayuya's grip tightened around Naruto's neck as she felt his sadness, "Naruto..?" she asked quietly.

He looked up with a rueful smile, "I am the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune." He said simply.

Tayuya's eyes widened in shock, "You…" she trailed off, unable to form a coherent response.

Naruto floated in quietness for a second and channelled some chakra into the seal around his eye before continuing, "I don't blame them for doing what they did. They were scared, and only wanted the safety of their children." He said with a smile, "I probably would've done the same if the situation was reversed."

Tayuya's eyes began to soften as Naruto continued his soliloquy, "But…I will be taking a more direct route to weeding out the threats of the village," he said with a smirk as he took one hand from holding Tayuya and pointed it towards the distance as his eye seal glowed, "I won't hesitate or threaten anyone who tries to harm something precious to me." He said as he shot a wind upgraded bone bullet into the distance.

Tayuya stared with wide eyes at the simple display of power and control as Naruto finished his speech, he stared at the setting sun with red eyes as he could see his bone bullet strike home, straight through the head of a spy sleuthing closer to the village just before an ANBU took the killing blow. "I'll just kill them all." He affirmed, watching the corpse bleed out with his enhanced sight.

Tayuya sat on Naruto's back in silence for a moment before hugging him as tight as she could from her position, "So…that 'hand of the village' thing you were talking about earlier…that's you isn't it?" she asked.

Naruto nodded, "I am the demonic assassin. People I'm sent to kill will drop dead once I set my sights on them." he declared before looking over his shoulder, making eye contact with Tayuya using his seal-glowing red eye.

Tayuya merely blinked at the sight before smiling, "Well, guess if I'm gonna stick by someone, it may as well be my family aye?" she said before hugging him again, "Looks like Mr. Assassin has met Ms. Illusion." She said with a laugh as he joined her.

After nearly a minute of laughter, Naruto blinked his eyes back to normal and began flying back towards the Uchiha district. Tayuya grinned as they passed through another flock of birds.

They soon touched down on the Uchiha lookout tower, Tayuya stood on her own feet for the first time in an hour and was a little wobbly, so Naruto held her hand to steady her, "You ok?"

Tayuya closed her eyes and nodded, "Yep, just gimme a moment." She muttered before taking a deep breath.

Tayuya had her eyes still closed when she heard the familiar sound of something being summoned. She opened her eyes to see a cobra in front of Naruto, wrapped around a picnic basket.

Naruto smiled, "Thanks King." He said to the snake, which bowed before leaving in a poof of smoke, leaving the basket behind.

Tayuya blinked in confusion, "You're a fucking snake summoner too?" she asked in shock.

Naruto grinned at Tayuya before sitting down, pulling her down with him, "Yeah, did you think this tat was just for show?" he asked with a laugh.

Naruto placed the basket on the floor of the tower's balcony and leant against the main pillar, "Have a seat Tayu-chan." He said as he pat the spot next to him.

Tayuya stood with folded arms, "How the fuck are you a snake summoner?" she demanded.

Naruto sighed and opened the basket, "Sit and eat with me, I'll explain." He compromised with a smile as he pulled take away containers out of the basket.

Tayuya was about to refuse before she noticed the containers, "That ramen?" she asked before sitting down and grabbing the bowl from Naruto's hand.

Naruto smirked and the two ate in silence for a moment as the sun finished its final descent, leaving the village being only lit up with its own lights.

Finishing his third bowl and letting Tayuya have his last, Naruto began talking, "You know that technique I used to absorb the white snakes from the seals?" he asked.

Tayuya paused in her eating and glanced at Naruto before swallowing her mouthful with a nod, "Well that was a portion of Orochimaru's soul." Naruto explained.

Naruto lifted his arms into easy view allowing her to study them, "I am the only user of the Soul Drain jutsu, I have absorbed the souls of a fair few ninja . When I first absorbed a piece of Orochimaru, I obtained this." He said with a gesture to his summoning tattoo.

Tayuya nodded in awe before taking another serving of her food, "So, who else then?" she asked, trying to seem casual about the thought of absorbing someone's essence.

Naruto smirked at her behaviour before ticking off some of the more recognisable people he absorbed, "Well, I got the First Hokage, Zabuza Momochi…a Kaguya." He said casually, grinning at her suddenly shocked expression.

Tayuya stared at Naruto, mouth wide in awe and confusion, until Naruto shoved a spoonful of rice in her mouth, regaining her attention, "You even listening?" he asked.

Tayuya chewed once before swallowing all the rice in one go, "The First Hokage? The wood user?" she asked sceptically, "And just how the hell do you expect me to believe that?!" she asked.

Naruto reached into his pouch and pulled out a seed, he closed his hand around it and channelled his chakra. Tayuya watched as Naruto opened his hands to reveal a fully grown rose, "This is my power." Naruto said before giving the flower to Tayuya.

Tayuya gingerly took the rose, "Wow, that was amazing!" she exclaimed with a grin before standing up and dropping her containers into the basket again.

Naruto stood as well and dusted off the lower portion of his outfit, "So, what do you wanna do now Tayu-chan?" he asked as he picked up the basket.

Tayuya smirked, "Let's play catch!" she said as she leapt up onto the balcony rail and raised her arms out.

Naruto's eyes widened as Tayuya began to fall back with a laugh, "Catch me Naruto!" she said before falling off.

Naruto quickly dove over the edge of the balcony and stretched out his cursed arm, grabbing a hold of Tayuya as he straightened into a dive.

Tayuya gasped as Naruto's arm wrapped around her waist and she was spun, within moments, she found herself in Naruto's arms, being carried bridal style as she somehow ended up holding the picnic basket against her stomach.

Tayuya laughed at Naruto's exasperated expression as the two continued flying around, sharing their stories and enjoying their time together.

#########################

"The Uchi-Raku noodle restaurant?" Kin asked in confusion as she read the sign of the establishment Sasuke had escorted her and Sakura to.

Sasuke smiled as he led the two of them through the open door, being met by a waiter, "Sasuke-sama! We have one of the private booths set up as requested." The waiter said.

Sasuke nodded with a smirk as Sakura and Kin looked around the establishment. They took in notice of the Uchiha fans posted on the four walls and the large print 'Ichiraku' across the main counter as they were lead to the back area.

Moments later, the three were sitting in a plush booth, Sakura and Kin sitting opposite Sasuke as they looked over the menu, "Woah, I didn't realise there were so many different flavours of ramen, udon and soba." Sakura said before looking up at Sasuke, "So is this the place Ayame-chan's family runs now?"

Sasuke nodded, "Teuchi is head chef and Ayame is the staff supervisor, I'm hoping this place will get as much profit as estimated." He said while gesturing back to the main room, "As you can see, I think we'll make a fine profit." He said with a smirk.

Kin nodded, "What a great idea! Did you come up with it Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke shrugged, "Well, Dan suggested I remake the Uchiha's market district. I offered a spot to Teuchi after Naruto found information from the establishment owner." Sasuke explained just as a waitress appeared.

"Hi everyone, I'll be your server for tonight. Ayame-san said she'll be free once everyone gets their rhythm going so about twenty minutes?" she estimated with a smile.

Sasuke smirked, "Thankyou Mimori, how do you like working her so far?"

The girl brushed some hair back and smiled, "It's great, I really enjoy it and it pays more than I thought it would, now have you guys decided what you'd like to order?" she said as she pulled out a notepad.

Sasuke nodded to the girls, signalling for them to order, "Umm, I'll have the tempura udon please. Kin-chan?" Sakura asked.

Kin hummed, "I'll have a veggie ramen." She said with a smile.

Sasuke passed the menus to Mimori without looking, "I'll have the chef's special."

Mimori nodded as she tore the order from her notepad, "I'll get that in right away. Any drinks while you wait?" she asked as she tucked the menus under her arm.

Before either of the girls could answer Sasuke spoke, "A bottle of sake and four cups."

Mimori blinked before shrugging, "Well, technically you're the boss…" she muttered before walking off towards the backroom/kitchen.

Sasuke turned to the girls, "So, how have the two of you been?" he asked with a slight smirk.

Sakura and Kin looked at each other before Kin gestured to go ahead, "Well Sasuke-kun, I've pretty much just been part timing at the hospital and perfecting my control over my new upgrade," She said with a flick of her earrings, "Other than that, just the mission to get you back Sasuke-kun." She finished with a nervous smile.

Sasuke leaned forward, "You haven't shown me this 'new upgrade.' What is it?" he asked.

Sakura blushed lightly at the intensity of his interest in her before sending a small amount of chakra to the rings on her ears.

Kin and Sasuke's eyes widened as from the rainbow glow of the earrings appeared a pair of pink sun glasses that covered her eyes completely behind the sharp pointed shades, she smiled as she glanced over the two, "These are called 'Scouter Sight'." She said with a grin.

Sasuke blinked on his Sharingan and looked over the seemingly simple glasses, his eyes widened as all he saw was a bright pink light of chakra before he deactivated his jutsu. "What do they do Sakura-chan?" he asked as he finished rubbing his sore eyes.

Sakura smirked, "I can see the strength and skills of a person with but a glance."

Kin raised a brow, "How? What do you mean?"

Sakura smiled as she glanced at Sasuke and began to analyse him, "These show me the threat level of the people I look at and also gives me titbits of information that help me get a better guess at their fighting style. Like you Sasuke-kun," she said with a grin as numbers began to appear in her view, "The largest chakra pools in your system other than the core is your eyes and fingers. This means most likely you have a doujutsu and are either a puppet master/seal user or something I'm unfamiliar with. And the numbers indicate that your over all threat level is twelve." She said before turning to Kin.

"Kin-chan, the largest pool other than your core is in your chest, so I'd assume lungs. So you've been learning chakra moulding techniques that you spit out. Therefore, some kind of distance fighter I assume. Your overall threat level is an eight." Sakura said with a grin as she pulled the chakra from her earrings.

The two observers nodded in awe, "That's quite amazing Sakura-chan, just how many upgrades are there?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura smiled, "A fair few more, but unfortunately some of them are damaged. I'm hoping Naruto-Nii can help me with all his knowledge on how the snow technology works."

Kin raised a brow, "Snow technology? You mean those blueprints he was fussing over?" she asked as she remembered Naruto not sleeping for a full night and her having to force him to take a rest.

Sakura nodded, "Yep, sure is." She said just as Mimori appeared again.

Mimori smiled, "Here you go, a bottle of sake for the three of you. Ayame-san says she'll be finished up soon and can come take a break with you guys then. Anything else I can do for you before your meals arrive?" she asked.

The two girls looked at Sasuke who shook his head, "No, we're good here thanks."

Mimori bowed again before walking off as Sasuke turned to Kin, "What about you Kin-chan? We haven't had time to talk in a while." He said with a soft smile.

Kin smiled as both Sakura and Sasuke began to pay her attention, "Well, since my probation ends at the end of this year. I haven't had much to do other than train, so…yeah." She said with a shrug.

Sasuke nodded, "With Anko-san right?"

Kin rubbed her arm while scowling, as if remembering something painful. "Yep, Anko-sensei has been teaching me…a lot."

As if noticing her level of discomfort, Sakura asked, "What has she trained you in exactly? All I know is that you've been appreciative but it's very strenuous." She said before thinking back to her chakra analysis, "She's been teaching you jutsus?"

Kin nodded, "Well, what you said about me being a distance fighter is true, that's what she's been helping me try to not only improve, but fix."

Sasuke tilted his head, "Fix and improve?" he asked.

Kin lifted the sleeves of her snakeskin cloak off for the first time in front of Sasuke, his eyes widened at the bruises on her forearms before she pulled the sleeves back on. "Please explain before I kill Anko." He said darkly as his Sharingan flared to life.

Kin reached over the table and grasped his hands to calm him down. Sakura, who had already had this conversation with Kin when she spotted the bruises in the shower, busied herself with filling each of their cups with sake.

"These bruises are from me learning the Venom Style. The style is focussed on small combos and one hit kills as well as poison attacks." Kin explained while squeezing Sasuke's fists in her hands.

Sasuke's grip lessened, "And what methods are she teaching you with?" he asked.

Kin breathed in quickly, knowing he probably wouldn't like the answer, "She's given me the scrolls of the whole style and every day we spar…until one of us loses." She explained.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, "And what counts as a 'loss'?"

Kin frowned, "Either capture the other person in a position where they can't exit. Or render them unconscious." She felt Sasuke's fists clench at the word 'unconscious', "But I like the way Anko-sensei is treating me!"

At her odd proclamation, Sasuke's anger disappeared, "What?" he asked.

Kin held Sasuke's hands in hers now, "She treats me like an actual student, she cares about me and every time you guys go out on missions, she's been staying with me." She explained before shrugging, "She gets lonely without Kakashi around, and I don't like being…alone." She said while staring at her hands, entwined as they were with Sasuke's.

Feeling a grip on her chin, she looked up to see Sasuke leaned over the table just before he kissed her forehead. She sat in silence with wide eyes as Sasuke sat back, "Kin-chan, I wish you had told me earlier. I could've set up somewhere for her to sleep peacefully." He said with a soft smile.

Kin grinned at Sasuke's acceptance, "Thanks Sasuke-kun!" she cheered.

Hearing steps near them, the three turned to see Ayame walking out, she looked exhausted but her face was set in a wide smile.

The three sat back with a smile as Ayame fell into the cushiony seat next to Sasuke, "Hey guys," she muttered before leaning against Sasuke and kissing his cheek, "You like it?"

Sasuke nodded, "Everything about Uchi-Raku's is a success. I love it Ayame-chan." He said.

Ayame smiled again and sat up straight, "What about you guys? Do you like it?" she asked.

Kin nodded, "Yeah I do! And you're in charge of the staff right?" she asked.

Ayame nodded nervously, "Why is there a problem? Oh no, I told dad I was too young to do this." She said, obviously mere seconds from having a nervous breakdown.

Kin stared in shock, unsure what to do, luckily Sakura saved the day by placing the sake shots in front of everyone, "Of course you can do this Ayame-chan, Kin was just curious about how long Mimori has worked in this business, because she seems to be really good at it."

Ayame held the cup and nodded, her breathing slowing down, "Really? That's good, she was one of the two I was most worried about."

Rather than worry Ayame's thoughts about the second person, Sasuke lifted his cup into the air. The other three followed his lead as he toasted, "I want to thank you three for accepting me as Sasuke. It's thanks to your kindness that I've been able to make some hard decisions in my life. Honestly," he took a deep breath, "I…love you." He muttered before lifting his cup and sculling the contents before sitting down.

Ayame, Kin and Sakura stared wide eyed at Sasuke, completely shocked at his sudden and quite random proclamation of love.

Kin was the first to speak, "S-Sasuke-kun, umm…" she blushed, feeling a little uncomfortable saying this in a public space, "I love you too."

Not to be outdone, Ayame leaned over to Sasuke hand hugged his arm to her chest, "Me too Sasuke-kun, I love you!" she proclaimed loudly.

Sakura smiled as Sasuke glanced from Ayame to her, "You know my feelings already Sasuke-kun, I love you."

Sasuke's smile stretched across his face as he lifted his cup again that Ayame had refilled, "To us then, the bringers of the next generation of the new Uchiha clan." He said with a smirk.

All three girls blushed bright red at his proclamation and Kin flat out fainted, leaning unconsciously against Sakura who was struggling to keep her thoughts from reaching 'the bedroom'.

Sasuke smirked before thinking about what he just said, '…Maybe this Sake is affecting me already.' He thought before glancing at Ayame, who shot her drink then hugged his arm, though less tightly as before, 'Na, it's probably just cause its true. I mean, why else would I say it?' he thought with a smile before frowning, 'What were we talking about again?' he thought before narrowing his eyes in concentration.

"Umm, excuse me."

The three conscious people turned to Mimori, who had three dinner plates in her grasp, "Your meals are ready, also Nami needs your help Ayame-chan." She said a little nervously.

Ayame instantly shot to her feet, "Well, back to work for me." She said before turning and leaning over to kiss Sasuke on the face, "I'll see you tomorrow for breakfast okay?" she said with a wink.

Sasuke smirked at what she had accidently implied, "That I will Ayame-chan, good luck tonight." He said before she waved and walked off.

Turning to his meal, Sasuke chuckled at Sakura, who was holding up the unconscious Kin. Sakura returned his laugh, letting the awkward moment from before be forgotten.

Sakura formed two hand signs and placed a green finger on Kin's forehead, causing Kin to wake up in a few seconds, "You okay Kin-chan?" she asked with a smile.

Kin nodded as her blurry memory cleared up, "Yep. Fantastic." She said with an awkward chuckle before taking her sake in a single gulp and began devouring her food in a very Naruto-like fashion.

Sakura openly laughed while Sasuke watched Kin's blushing face with a smile, 'By Log I love these women.' He thought before beginning to eat his own meal.

##############################

"Well I must say this isn't what I was expecting when you wanted to go somewhere via shunshin. Usually I end up on my back." Anko said with wide eyes as she looked at the picnic mat set atop Hokage Mountain.

Kakashi eye smiled and took Anko's hand, leading her over to the mat he began talking, "Well, tonight's a special occasion Anko-chan. My students have made major steps in their lives, and given me the courage to take some major steps in mine." He explained.

Anko grinned at his statement and pushed him into a laying position, she took off her coat and lay flush against his side, "You sound really proud." She said before sighing, "I know Sasuke has re-done his district, but what have your other two kids done?"

Kakashi lifted his chest for a moment and began taking off his flak jacket, "Well, Naruto has recently led a successful A-rank mission to save Sasuke and his team captured three A-rank ninjas. That's earned him a nickname in the bingo-book. His performance at the Chunnin exam in making that giant water dragon made many nations aware of his power. And he was only a gennin at the time." Kakashi explained as he lay his vest under their heads to use as a pillow.

Anko rested against his shoulder again as he lay down again, "Okay, when you put it like that he sounds damn amazing. But, what about Sakura?"

Kakashi chuckled, "Sakura has near mastered the Radical Good Speed. Once she has the power of each upgrade fully integrated into her system, she'll literally become as fast as the speed of light." He said with a proud eye-smile towards the sky.

Anko smiled at his tone before leaning up and pulling Kakashi's masks down, "When can you keep this off for good?" she asked before kissing Kakashi lovingly.

As she pulled away, Kakashi smiled, "It is law of the Hatake. I cannot take off my mask until I can pass it to my child." He said before pulling Anko on top of him and sitting up, causing her to slide into his lap.

Anko smiled and stroked Kakashi's lip, "Honestly, I don't understand your clan rules sometimes. This mask thing seems a little odd don't you think?"

Kakashi smiled, "I think every clan has their own personal weird things. Like the Hyuuga and their seal, the Inuzuka's facial tattoos, the Naara's deer farming…" he trailed off for a moment before looking down at Anko's face, seeing the sunset's light bounce off her glittering eyes.

He raised his hand and stroked her cheek, "You're so beautiful Anko-chan." He whispered.

Anko smiled dreamily and continued running her fingers across his lips, tracing over a scar, "When did you get this?" she asked.

Kakashi's smile slowly shrank and he looked to the side remorsefully, "The only time my mask was ever damaged. The day I lost my teammate, Rin." He explained quietly.

Realising it was a painful subject for him to think about, Anko turned his face back to her, "Enough of that," she said before pulling him into a hug, burying her face in the crook of his neck, "Let's just focus on us okay?"

Kakashi hummed and hugged her tightly, "Of course," he muttered before raising his hand into the air, gaining her confused attention.

He clicked his fingers and two Kakashi clones stepped out from the trees, they placed down a plastic bag and a paper bag before dispelling.

Anko blinked in confusion as Kakashi reached over and brought the plastic bag closer to them, "Close your eyes Anko-chan." He whispered into her ear.

Anko shivered at his hot breath before doing as he said, feeling something near her lips, she opened her mouth wide, very expectant for what appeared to be happening.

To her confusion though, Kakashi spoke again, "Guess the flavour Anko-chan, did I get it right this time?"

Anko opened her eyes and noticed that it was in fact a stick of dango he held resting in her mouth, she mentally slapped herself, 'Duh! I'm sitting in his lap for Log's sake!'

Anko bit off the first ball and chewed before smiling and suddenly kissing Kakashi on the lips, allowing him to get a taste of the treat.

As she pulled away, Kakashi smiled softly, "Did I get it?" he asked.

Anko inhaled the rest of the balls on that stick while nodding, "Oh yeah! My favourite flavour!" she said before reaching into the plastic bag and pulling out another. She held it to Kakashi's lips as he took the other and fed it to her, they did this for a few minutes. Watching the sun's final descent, they eventually were laying next to each other again and looking as it disappeared over the trees.

Kakashi chuckled softly, "This is so sappy." He muttered between bites.

Anko nodded with a matching giggle and fed him another ball, "You should feel honoured. If any other man tried to see me like this I'd castrate him." She said with a grin that was a little to joy filled.

Kakashi's hand twitched when he imagined the vivid imagery, "Uh, yeah. I'm very honoured." He said before reaching to grab the paper bag.

Anko watched as Kakashi reached in and pulled out a bottle of sake each, "Well Anko-chan, would you join me for a drink?" he asked as he held up the two bottles.

Anko grabbed her bottle from his hand and clinked her bottle to his, "To us, may our children wear funky masks and snakeskin cloaks." She said as a joke before laughing and taking a swig of her drink.

Kakashi smiled and took a swig before rolling into a sitting position, "Anko-chan…"

Hearing Kakashi's odd tone, she looked up at him with a raised brow, "Yeah 'Kashi-kun?"

Kakashi turned to face her and kneeled on one knee, "Would you like that? Children I mean." He said as he reached into his pocket.

Anko noticed the implications of Kakashi's actions and nodded slowly, "Yes, if there is one thing I'm sure of its our future together 'Kashi-kun. I'd like to… have a family." She said, staring deep into his eyes hopefully.

Kakashi smiled a full smile, "Anko-chan," he whispered as he lifted a small box from his pocket, "Will you give me the pleasure, of marrying m-OOMPH!"

"YESYESYESYESYEEEEEEEESSS!" Anko screamed in joy as she glomped Kakashi onto his back.

Kakashi grinned and the two shared another kiss before she sat back, sitting on his lower stomach as he raised the box between them.

Anko watched with wide eyes as Kakashi opened the box and placed the white jewel encrusted gold ring on her finger, her eyes began to tear as the sun's rays lit up the ring for a moment only for the light to sink behind the trees.

Anko grinned and looked back down at Kakashi and kissing him full on the lips again, when she opened her eyes, they had somehow managed to end up sitting in each other's arms in the center of the picnic mat.

Kakashi entwined his hand with hers and admired the ring, "Perfect fit." He muttered before looking back to Anko, who was holding her bottle of sake again.

She licked the bottle's tip, "So 'Kashi-kun, wanna take this party back to our apartment?" she said sexily.

In an instant, a Kakashi clone was cleaning up the picnic grounds while Kakashi and Anko disappeared in a poof of smoke, her laughter echoing throughout the area.

################################################## #

The night was filled with happiness and love for the members of squad seven and their loved ones. There was peace throughout the night and into the late morning. Everyone experiencing dreams of their loved ones at the happiest moment in their possible lives…

################################################## 

_The Next Day_

Naruto stretched as he reached the bottom of the steps, "Mornin fellas." He muttered before yawning.

Gaara looked up from his place meditating on the back balcony, "Good morning Naruto. The other two are in the kitchen." He said calmly, with something in his voice which Naruto barely picked up on.

Naruto grinned, "Thanks Gaara, what's got you so cheery?" he asked.

Gaara turned to face outside again, "I have my appointment with Hiruzen-sama and Jiraiya-sama at midday. They are going to do their best to help me sleep safely again." He said with a small smile.

Naruto's eyes lit up as he hovered into the air, "That's great Gaara!" he exclaimed before his stomach growled.

Gaara chuckled once, "Go get some breakfast Naruto."

Naruto nodded and flew to the only other room on the bottom floor of their house. Opening the door, he grinned at Pikkon who was walking placing his dishes into the sink to rinse, "Morning Pikkon." He said before sitting in his place next to Sasuke and began helping himself to some of the rice sitting in the table's middle.

Pikkon smirked, "Good morning Naruto, what's your plans for today?"

Naruto grinned, "Well around ten Kimimaro-san said he'll help me with learning the dances of his clan. Apparently some of them are really painful when ripping the bones out." He said with a shudder before inhaling his share of food.

Sasuke raised a brow, "And this afternoon? Do you remember what Ero-sensei said?" Sasuke said sternly.

Naruto frowned and nodded, "Yeah, I'll we'll tell everyone together yeah?" he asked.

Sasuke nodded in response, "You do realise you have two minutes until you're supposed to be meeting Kimimaro right?"

Naruto gasped and looked at the clock on the wall, "OH SHIT!" he yelled before flying out the window, covering the street side in glass as he flew towards the window of Kimimaro and Jirobo's apartment.

Pikkon raised a brow at Sasuke, "What is it you're gonna be telling us all?" he asked.

Sasuke shook his head and stood from the table, "You'll find out this afternoon, just like everyone else." He said coolly before placing his plate in the sink and disappearing in a shunshin.

Pikkon frowned at his behaviour, "I wonder what that's about." He muttered before walking into the lounge room and heading to the basement, "Gaara, I'll be practising my earth element if ya need me." He said before opening the door and heading down, knowing Gaara would hear him.

Pikkon closed the door behind him and walked down the stairs, he sat in the middle of the near empty room and began focussing his chakra into the earth around him.

Pikkon suddenly stopped and his head snapped to his left as he stared at a crate in the corner, 'What's that chakra?' he thought as he suddenly felt movement through the ground with his earth chakra.

He began focussing again, trying to pretend he didn't notice the small chakra flare. He slightly opened one eye and saw a small white rat run from behind the crate and over to Naruto's workstation. He frowned as he noticed it looking over the blueprints of the chakra armour, 'That rat is more than it seems.'

Keeping up the façade by feeling the earth with his chakra, he sent it over to feel under and around the crate, his mind's eye widened as he felt a small tunnel behind it and someone sitting there writing something.

He glanced back at the rat which he realised had just rolled the blue prints back up…with its thumbed hands… 'Okay, seriously what the fuck?!' he thought, pretending to still be meditating.

The rat's mouth suddenly elongated and it picked up the blueprints, 'Shit! No more watching!' Pikkon thought as he grabbed one of the short blade daggers from inside his sleeve.

The rat looked up only for its head to be pierced by a wind blade, it collapsed into ink and paper as Pikkon pulled back his blade. He ran over to Naruto's desk and pulled the blueprints free of the ink.

He brushed off the ink and scanned the room with his eyes, 'No more rats.' He thought before moving over to the crate that was covering up the hole. He grunted as he pulled the crate to the side, but to his confusion, he could see no hole in the wall.

Pikkon blinked twice before frowning, "What the hell is going on here?" he asked to himself before pushing the crate flush against the wall once again. "I better go tell someone about this." He muttered before taking a sample of the ink and running up stairs, not noticing as another rat made its way out.

##################################

Chapter End.

**Thanks for reading! Please R&R!  
this is the second last chapter to part 1. Once again, I'm telling ya'll that I'll be taking a small break before writing part two. Shouldn't be too long but I need a break.**


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35: Solutions and Conclusions.

"FLAME RASENGA-AAAHH!" Jiraiya yelled as his sphere of chakra exploded and sent him flying back.

Naruto caught him and set him on his feet, "You almost got it Ero-sensei! You just need to compact the fire a fraction more!" Naruto said with a grin.

Jiraiya frowned as he stood, his arm covered in burns as he practised shirtless, showing off his sixty year old, obscenely muscular form, "Yeah yeah I know." Jiraiya said as he used one hand to focus his fire chakra and the other to mould it correctly.

After a few moments, Jiraiya stood with a red rasengan in his grasp, he slowly pulled back the hand that was controlling the amount and flow of the fire chakra and focussed the control of rotation through his other hand to compensate.

Naruto floated nearby with a grin, "Hold it for twenty seconds, then give it a try."

Jiraiya nodded and mentally counted to twenty before crouching as he turned to the lake nearby. He took another deep breath and sped up the rotation as he pushed forward, "FLAME RASENGAN!"

Jiraiya's face turned into a huge smirk as he was able to dive to the bottom of the lake without being touched by the water, his rasengan held strong and evaporated any water near him until he plunged it into the base of the waterhole.

The water closed around over him after his flame rasengan destroyed a large chunk of earth. He swam back to the surface and pulled himself up onto the water to see Naruto cheering, "Yeah! Good work Ero-sensei!"

Jiraiya got back to land and sent his fire chakra through his system, drying him off in less than a minute as he and Naruto talked, "Thanks brat, a quick question though, did you come up with this by yourself?" Jiraiya asked.

Naruto shook his head, "It was theorised in Dad's journal, and Orochimaru had actually planned to learn the rasengan and imbue his chakra with it. I had two halves of the equation already so it wasn't hard to come up with an answer." He said with a grin.

Jiraiya nodded, "That's genius kid! Haha!" he cheered, sounding a little off.

Naruto frowned, "Are you alright Ero-sensei?"

Jiraiya nodded and sat down, "Yep, just a little light headed from lack of chakra." He said before lying down on his back.

Naruto joined him, "Yeah, I guess I'll never feel that again." He muttered.

Jiraiya looked to Naruto, "What do you mean?"

Naruto grinned and raised his arm. The grey portion suddenly stretched and Naruto let it reach up into the air continuously, "This power is from a guy named Juugo. He could passively absorb nature chakra, but because he didn't really know how to control it properly, it turned him a little insane." Naruto explained as his arm finally stopped stretching into the air, neither of the two could even see his hand anymore but Naruto noticed his fingers were oddly cold.

Jiraiya nodded, "Y'know, hearing all the shit you can already do, this doesn't surprise me that much. Or maybe that's just cause I'm too tired to react." He mumbled before yawning.

Naruto grinned and started retracting his arm, "Well, one thing's for sure. This was the major factor that let me use two different sage modes." He said, he was cut off from continuing as Jiraiya shot to his feet.

"Did you say TWO?!" he yelled, seemingly forgetting about his tired state.

Naruto nodded, "Yep, finally mastered my snake sage mode." He said as he sat up.

Jiraiya yelled out, "DAMMIT SHOW ME!"

Naruto got to his feet and nodded, "Yeah alright, no need to shout." He muttered as his arm turned to normal and he took a deep breath.

As Naruto let out the breath, his skin seemed to crack into scales and it slowly turned white, his fingernails became purple and horns grew from his head. As he opened his eyes, Jiraiya saw that they had become slitted and glowed a golden colour.

Naruto stood to his feet, "Thiss iss my ssage mode for the ssnake contract." He said in a slightly drawling tone, showing off his foot long tongue and fanged teeth.

Jiraiya stared at Naruto in shock, 'This is the first time I've seen anyone other than Orochimaru use it, damn its creepy!' he thought as Naruto showed his increased speed by dashing around the field at a speed that reminded Jiraiya of Sakura's RGS.

Naruto came to a stop in front of Jiraiya and grinned, "What do you think Ssenssei?" Naruto said as he held his hand up, allowing his claws to extend, "Alsso, thesse clawss are highly poissonouss." He finished as he licked his fangs with his new tongue.

Jiraiya nodded, "Yeah, that's extremely cool and all. But it's equally as creepy." He said with a shudder.

Naruto laughed as his sage mode receded, "Ku ku ku ka ha ha ha ha!"

Jiraiya scowled, "Yeah yeah. Laugh it up brat, we'll see if I take you on the mission." He said.

Naruto stopped laughing and glared at Jiraiya darkly, "You will take me on this mission. You have no choice in the matter." He demanded as his eyes glinted red.

Jiraiya's eyes widened at Naruto's behaviour, "What the hell brat? I was just kidding around." He said as he stared at Naruto, feeling a sudden sense of danger.

It evaporated as Naruto blinked his eyes back to blue and he grinned, "Awesome sensei! Sorry but I gotta go, the boss wanted me to dispel about now." Naruto said as he began falling backwards.

Jiraiya frowned in confusion until 'Naruto' hit the ground and collapsed into a gathering of twigs and flowers.

Jiraiya stared for a moment until he burst into laughter, "Haha! That brat!" he said with a smile before turning to grab his overclothes before heading home. As he tied his scroll back in place, his mind flashed to the dark look Naruto gave him.

'What was that feeling? I haven't something like that since Hanzo the Salamander.' He thought before shaking his head and walking off.

"Jiraiya-sama!"

Jiraiya turned and raised an eyebrow, "What's wrong Pikkon?"

############################

Naruto stumbled as his mind flashed with memories of teaching Jiraiya the flame rasengan, which caused him to lose this spar as Kimimaro paused millimetres from stabbing multiple vital organs on his body.

Kimimaro stepped back and folded his ribcage back into his chest, "What is wrong Naruto-san?" he asked.

Naruto shook his head as the memories realigned, "Nothing, I was just caught off guard by a clone of mine. I told it to dispel once it helped Jiraiya learn the flame rasengan. I didn't expect him to learn it so quickly." Naruto explained as he stood back to his feet and took a low stance.

Kimimaro nodded, "I think you should practise making these techniques second nature to you." He said as he turned and began walking back.

Naruto stood from his stance with a confused look, "How do we do that?"

Kimimaro smirked lightly as his curse mark grew over his body, "I have organised for some people to help us today. You will defend using only the Dead Bone Pulse Bloodline." Kimimaro said as he span and shot curse powered bone bullets at Naruto.

Naruto ducked under the bones only to be collected in the side by a mud ball. Naruto rolled to his feet and glanced around the area to see Sakura and Tenten ready with their weapons, "Oh Log." Naruto muttered with a frown before whipping out his bone sword (The blade of bone from his shoulder) and began deflecting Tenten's weapon onslaught.

Naruto span and let his bone armour deflect Tenten's attacks as he raised his sword to knock away an earth spear from Sakura. Feeling the barrage of steel stop, Naruto turned and barely managed to raise his sword into the air and block Kimimaro's own blade.

Naruto frowned as his weaker sword cracked slightly, Kimimaro pushed on in hopes of shattering through the blade.

Naruto suddenly smirked and pushed his blade on an angle, forcing it to shatter and let Kimimaro fall to the side. Naruto swiped his hidden bone blade in his left arm at Kimimaro's back. But kimimaro's ribcage lifted out and caught his hand as Kimimaro shouted, "Now!"

Kimimaro dissolved into a mud clone, surprising Naruto that Kimimaro even knew techniques that weren't bone based. Naruto looked up at the barrage of kunai with explosive tags flying at him through the air.

Seeing only one option, Naruto pushed all the bones of his torso outwards while spinning and ripping his hand free from the mud, "LARCH DANCE!"

Each move his body made knocked one or two blades to the side, letting the explosions occur far away from him. He withstood the whole barrage and came to a stop as his bones retracted back into his body. Panting while he glanced around, he thought, 'Damn! How do these guys work so well together after barely any time knowing each other?'

Feeling a presence behind him, Naruto ducked. This let Sakura's swipe fly over him before he reached up and grabbed Sakura's elbows.

Naruto focussed, "DANCE OF ENTRAPPING VINES!"

Naruto's bones grew from his back and slotted around every joint on her body then squeezed Sakura tightly, giving her no opportunity to move and himself a more than adequate defence from behind. Naruto grinned as he faced Tenten and Kimimaro, "This has to count for something right? I'm tired!" he yelled.

Kimimaro smirked before letting his curse mark recede, he closed his eyes as he began to talk, "I think you have progressed as far as you will with your current knowledge Naruto-san. I guess we can end today's trai-HCK!"

Naruto grinned as he lowered his arm, watching as his bone bullet drilled into Kimimaro's armour until it came to a stop, "HA!" Naruto said in victory.

Kimimaro frowned as he sat up tall again, "Your training is done for the day. I think it's time to go home." He said with a huff.

Naruto grinned and let go of Sakura, who fell to her knees and then stood up straight, "That was weird." She said with a shudder.

Tenten leapt down to Naruto and grinned, "Sorry for the sudden attack Naruto-kun. But, did I do well?" she asked.

Naruto nodded, "Very well, for a moment there I honestly thought I was going to be killed." He said with an intimidated smirk.

Tenten laughed, it seemed contagious since within a minute Naruto and Sakura were laughing along with her.

"Naruto! Sakura!"

The laughter stopped and the four in the clearing turned to see Sasuke boarding into the clearing, "We need to go back to the house now! Pikkon found something odd, Kakashi-sensei is meeting us there with Anko since Jiraiya-sensei is busy with Gaara's seal." He explained as he came to a stop.

Naruto's eyes widened, "At our house?" he asked.

Sasuke nodded as he pulled Sakura into his arms on the board, "Let's go!" he yelled before shooting off at high speeds.

Tenten jumped onto Naruto's back and he flew off as curse seal Lv.2 Kimimaro leapt after them at full sprint.

###############################

"Alright, is everyone here?" Kakashi asked to the crowd.

Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Pikkon, Tenten and Kimimaro nodded, "This is everyone 'Kashi-kun." Anko confirmed.

The group stood around the corner from the boy's household as Kakashi took charge, "Pay attention everyone. Someone has tried to steal village secrets from a clan home, this is a very serious matter and if we don't shut it down immediately, people will blame either the sound refugees, Gaara or Pikkon. This has the potential to destroy the alliance." Kakashi said, showing the seriousness of the situation.

Kakashi turned to Sasuke, "Firstly, before anyone hears what exactly Pikkon witnessed I want you to tell us everything about this house Sasuke."

Sasuke nodded, "Well, I've lived there since after the massacre. As far as I know there hasn't been anything weird in the house." He said before tilting his head to the side in thought, "Though now that you mention it, something about the basement as always been a little…off."

Kakashi nodded, "So it's the same house, just refurbished as per your instructions right?" he asked.

Sasuke nodded, "Yeah, that's right." He confirmed.

Kakashi nodded and turned to Pikkon, "The basement… I guess this fits in with what you said Pikkon, no one would have noticed this unless they were training like you were. Explain what you witnessed to those here then we'll devise a plan."

Pikkon nodded, "Well I remember my sensei saying that he found it easier to connect with his earth chakra when he sat in a cave. So, I thought a basement would work just as well. Since the mission to get Sasuke back to the leaf, I've been training to strengthen my connection in the earth." Pikkon explained as he gestured to the basement on the blueprints Kakashi held up.

He pointed to the same crate that was covering the hole, "I was meditating with my earth chakra, trying to feel the rats, mice and bugs through the ground. When I felt a hole in the wall with my chakra, I didn't think anything of it. Until I visually saw rats come from the same area. I couldn't even feel it on the floor though, and I was confused as to why every other animal in its path stayed clear." He said with a gesture to the corner.

Sasuke spoke up, "Was it near the crates?" he asked.

Pikkon nodded, "Yeah, anyways I observed the rat as it climbed up onto Naruto's workstation. To my shock its jaw grew and it began to swallow the rolled up blue prints. I waited a moment before killing it, only for it to collapse into ink and paper." He finished before gesturing to Kakashi. "I told Jiraiya-sama and he contacted Kakashi to handle it."

Kakashi placed his hand on Pikkon's shoulder and stepped forward, "Thanks Pikkon," he said before facing the group, "The way Pikkon has described the situation makes me believe this might actually be a spy from within Konoha. Although I've never seen someone make animals from paper and ink." He said before laying the blueprints on the ground in front of him.

"Sakura, Kimimaro and Pikkon. You three are our earth users so I want you to analyse the opening in the wall from above ground with your chakra. The rat appears to have not noticed Pikkon until he moved so I don't think it can feel chakra being manipulated." Kakashi explained.

"Sasuke, Naruto. It would seem normal for you two to go down there since it is Sasuke's basement and it's your blueprint workshop Naruto. I want you to go down there and see if you can spot any of these paper rats. If you do, just pay attention to it. Do nothing else unless its necessary. We don't want to alert the user of the technique that we found out until we've caught them." Kakashi ordered.

Naruto asked, "What are we meant to do down there?"

Kakashi shrugged, "Pretend you're discussing the blueprints of a new design or something. But at some point try to casually work in looking inside and around the crates." He ordered.

Sasuke and Naruto nodded, "Hai sensei."

Kakashi turned to Tenten and Anko, "Now Tenten, Anko-chan. I want you guys to canvas the rest of the house for white rats of any description, try to make it look like Tenten has convinced you to help her look for a present Naruto has gotten for her."

The two nodded, "Sounds kinda lame but alright." Anko said with a shrug.

Kakashi eye-smiled, "But remember, you two aren't supposed to know that Sasuke and Naruto are in the basement looking. So if you do see them or hear them, act surprised. Sasuke, just place a sound seal on the room so that you won't hear them at all."

Kakashi stood tall, "Am I understood?"

"Hai Sensei/Kashi-kun!"

Kakashi nodded, "Alright. Sasuke, pass out the seals." He ordered.

Sasuke nodded and reached into his pouch and pulled out a pile of seals and began passing them around as Kakashi explained their uses, "These seals Sasuke designed work like a basic microphone will. I will be here listening in to what everyone is saying or talking about. If I tell you to do something, do it. Like I said earlier, this mission is a dangerous one. Are you ready?" Kakashi asked as he took the corresponding seals and held them out as Sasuke tied them together on a fusion seal so Kakashi had total control.

"Hai Sensei/Kashi-kun!"

Kakashi eye-smiled, "Well then, move out!"

################################

"I'm telling ya Aniki, something is wrong with this design!" Naruto said as he hovered into the basement.

Sasuke entered after him and activated the sound seal on the door, "And I asked you, how is that my problem?" he asked as he slid down the stair rail and landed at the bottom, scanning every surface with his Sharingan.

Naruto hovered over to his desk and hit the table light, "What the hell?" he asked as he stared at the large ink splodge on his desk.

Sasuke raised a brow, "What happened here?"

Naruto frowned, "How should I know?" he blinked in fake realisation, "I bet Pikkon did it, that's the last time we let him meditate down here." Naruto said with a sigh before cleaning up the mess.

Sasuke helped him and for a few minutes, both had taken a full canvas of the room by looking over each other's shoulders as they walked around the table.

Sasuke stepped back, "I don't think we can use this anymore," he said with a gesture to the large mess of ruined paper in his and Naruto's hands.

Naruto glanced around, "Chuck 'em in those crates then." Naruto said with a shrug.

Sasuke walked over to the same crate he had looked over a long time ago and opened the lid, this time though, he used his Sharingan to perfectly remember every curve and mark in the crate. His eyes widened in shock as his Sharingan picked up a sound recording seal in the bottom of the empty crate.

After throwing his share of wasted paper into it, Sasuke calmly placed the crate's lid down and turned to Naruto, who was openly staring into his crate. Sasuke frowned, thinking that Naruto had blown their cover.

"Otouto, what are you-"

"Aniki, didn't you say the Mangekyou Sharingan is the next level in your eye techniques?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke's eyes widened as he stepped over to Naruto and looked into the crate. There were three scrolls, one of which was titled 'Mangekyou Sharingan.' The second was labelled 'E-M-S', the third was 'Sharingan Master Techniques.'

The two stared in silence for a moment before Naruto's eyes snapped to their right. Seeing his brother tense, Sasuke glanced as well with his Sharingan.

On the lid of the crate stood a small paper rat, it was looking at the scrolls with more intent than any rat should have.

Sasuke quickly took action, "We should take these upstairs Otouto, they'll be easier to study in the light."

Naruto nodded and lifted two scrolls in either arm, he focussed his chakra into his sword on his back and drew upon the water, "WATER CLONE JUTSU!"

Two water clones seemingly poured out of the seal and formed the clones which took two scrolls each and quickly moved up the stairs.

As Naruto kept his eyes on the rat, which stared past them up to the clones, he placed the lid back on the crate.

Sasuke nudged Naruto's shoulder, "I wonder if there is anything in this other crate." He said as he gestured to the third crate.

Naruto nodded, "Only one way to find out." He said as they stepped over to the crate.

"_How are you boys doing? Just say something either positive or negative." _Kakashi's voice said into their minds.

Sasuke gestured over to the crate for Naruto's sake, "This is very good, I wonder what I could learn from that scroll. Do you wanna open this crate Naruto?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto nodded, "Sure."

"_Very good? That's good to hear. Sasuke, have you seen those rats yet?"_

Knowing Sasuke needed a chance to answer either positively or negatively, Naruto asked, "Do you think there will be more technique scrolls?" he said as he began lifting the lid.

Sasuke nodded, "Yes. It's likely."

"_Do you have the jutsu user's chakra signature?"_

Sasuke mumbled to himself, "It's highly likely."

_"Good, come back out as soon as you can. Sakura and the others have found the tunnel. Kakashi out."_

Naruto finally finished lifting the lid and his eyes widened, "Woah, Aniki look!"

Sasuke looked into the crate and stared at the contents, "Chakra fusion and fission?" he asked in a confused tone.

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, and look at these books!"

Indeed, the crate held a handful of books, "What's so great about these books? They look like people's journals." He said as he picked up the first one and read the title out loud, "Chronicles of Madara Uchiha, Part one."

Naruto took the book from Sasuke's grasp, "Don't you know who Madara Uchiha is?! The only man to go head to head with Hashirama Senju and nearly win! He was the only person able to summon and control the Kyuubi!" Naruto said hysterically, completely forgetting the purpose of their mission for a moment.

Sasuke, realising how big this information actually is, quickly scanned the room for any rats. He caught a glimpse of one as it disappeared behind the crate again. "Otouto, grab the crate and your things. We have to get out of here now. Use the quick cleanup combination." Sasuke said as he leapt back to the steps.

Realising that the spy was either gone, or their cover was blown, Naruto instantly sprang into action, "WIND STYLE: FULL SUCTION!"

Everything in the room, from the crates to a loose brick to Naruto's work desk, was pulled towards Naruto who was standing on a step above Sasuke.

Sasuke raised his seal between Naruto's hands, "SEALING ART: INSTANT STORAGE SEAL!"

Within seconds the room was cleared and the two exited the basement. As they ran out, Sasuke glanced behind him and noticed as a section of the wall began opening up. They closed the door behind them and Sasuke passed the seal to Naruto, "I saw something as we were leaving, I don't know if it was someone coming in or something leaving. But I'm not taking any chances." Sasuke said as he drew a multi-level seal across the door with his chakra.

Naruto turned to Anko and Tenten who had just ran down the stairs, "No time to explain! Grab a scroll and get outta here!"

The four of them grabbed a scroll each as Sasuke cradled the instant storage seal to his chest. The four of them ran from the building and turned the corner, arriving at Kakashi's location in less than thirty seconds.

Kakashi blinked in confusion at their hasty arrival, "What's wrong?" he asked out loud.

"_Sensei! There's movement in the tunnel! There's someone running through it!" _Sakura's voice rang out from the sealing array.

Kakashi nodded and pressed his chakra to Sakura's corresponding seal, "On our way, keep track of them!" he said before turning to the others.

"Naruto and I will go to the others. Sasuke, since this has been happening in your house it's safe to assume you may be a target of some kind so you stay here and sort out things. Anko, you're in charge." Kakashi ordered and passed the master seal to Anko and Naruto kissed Tenten before they leapt off.

Sasuke scowled before getting to work in re-sealing everything in the instant seal into proper seals so that they were stable, 'What the hell is going on?' he thought.

Tenten touched her lips softly, holding on to the memory of Naruto's lips on hers, 'Be careful Naruto-kun.' She thought.

############################

"I've lost it!" Pikkon said in frustration.

"Found it!" Kimimaro said as he squeezed through a narrow alley.

Sakura and Pikkon followed behind him on the building rooftops. Kimimaro stomped with his earth chakra and felt the tunnel turn and the person running around the corner. "Sakura-san! Your ten o'clock!" Kimimaro yelled as he focussed on getting out of the dead end alley.

Sakura leapt down from the building into the center of the Uchiha market district and pulsed her earth chakra, feeling it resonate through the ground and into the tunnel and off of the person's footsteps, "Got it! EARTH STYLE: HEAD-HUNTER JUTSU!" she said as she held a seal and dove underground, leaving the hole open behind her.

People looked on confused and worried as one of the village ninja used a jutsu in the middle of the streets. Their confusion grew as Pikkon and Kimimaro arrived above the hole.

Sakura dug into the roof of the tunnel and landed just behind the person she was chasing, due to the tunnel's darkness, she couldn't see their face. She reached out to grab the person with one of her claws, only for her arm to be battered aside by a small blade.

Sakura focussed on her earth chakra to feel where her opponent was, but there was almost no manoeuvrability in the cramped space. Stuck in this situation, all Sakura could do was slash widely to dissuade her opponent from getting to close.

She was slowly driven into the darkness of the tunnel from the attacker's swipes until she saw Pikkon fall down from the hole behind the attacker. He instantly took action, attacking loudly to draw the attacker's attention.

His plan worked and the spy turned to him fully, allowing Sakura to activate her boots "SHOCKING FIRST BULLET!" she yelled as she leapt up and kicked the roof of the tunnel.

Pikkon slashed out with his blades and disarmed their opponent before he rolled back and leapt back out of the hole as the tunnel collapsed while Sakura once again used the head-hunter to break free. As the two arrived on the surface, they were met with the sight of Kimimaro's bone wall creating an arena like area to make sure the attacker couldn't escape while also protecting nearby civilians.

The three ninjas surrounded the now visible ninja, who wore standard ANBU clothing and stood calmly.

Sakura stepped forward, "Give up now! We have you surrounded. If you are actually an ANBU of the Leaf you will have your chance to talk to Tsunade-baa-sama and have this matter settled!" she ordered.

The person turned around slowly, there were a tense few moments of silence before their hands came together and held a single hand sign.

Using RGS, Sakura appeared in front of the ninja in an instant aiming a kick at his chest, "ANNIHILATING SECOND BULLET!"

Her kick launched through his hands and chest as the attacker exploded into ink and paper, the three ninjas looked on in shock before looking around to try and find the ANBU.

Pikkon yelled, "Kimimaro! Take the barrier down!"

Kimimaro retracted his bones, and the three turned around in hopes of seeing the assailant. But all they saw was a stunned but very crowded group of people.

Sakura kicked the ground in frustration, "Damn! They got away!" she yelled in annoyance.

In that second, Kakashi and Naruto arrived, "Where is he?" Kakashi asked.

Kimimaro was frowning when he answered, "We are unsure Kakashi, the ANBU got away."

Kakashi's fist clenched in frustration, 'It was an ANBU agent? Could he have been from Root?' he thought.

"Dammit!" Naruto proclaimed as he stared into the hole in the district's center.

Realising the attention they were drawing, Kakashi lifted his Sharingan and formed some hand signs, "EARTH STYLE: COMPACT PLATFORM!"

The loose stones compacted in on themselves to form a small platform which successfully filled the hole and made it safe to walk across. Though it did seem a little out of place as it did not have the stone pathways of the rest of the district.

The ninjas looked to Kakashi for the next decision, "Sakura, go get the others. We have to report to Tsunade's office about this."

###############################

"SEALING ART: DEMONIC SUPPRESSENT!" Sarutobi Hiruzen yelled as he held back the chakra within Gaara's seal.

"This is it! SEALING ART: MULTI PLATFORM SEALING METHOD: EIGHT TRIGRAMS CONVERSION: DEMONIC CHAKRA TRANSFERANCE SEAL!" Jiraiya yelled as he pushed his chakra through the large sealing array on the ground surrounding Gaara.

After two minutes, the chakra disappeared and Jiraiya fell onto his ass. He looked up at his sensei who sat in his wheelchair, "Did it work sensei?" he asked, old habits die hard.

Sarutobi smiled, "I'd say it did, and quite well too." He said as he pointed to Gaara, who was sleeping soundly on the stone floor. His sand swirling calmly around him…

##############################

"The one tail is now fully under control. The best part is now Gaara can sleep with his defence naturally activated." Hiruzen said with a smile as Jiraiya pushed him into Tsunade's office.

Tsunade stamped a sheet and looked up at the two, "Great news, thanks a lot for that guys. Where is he now?" she asked.

Jiraiya smirked, "Sleeping his ass off."

Tsunade laughed, only for her forehead to be hit by a ruler, "Back to work Tsunade-chan, your break isn't for another hour." Hani said with a sweet smile, while stroking her ruler of pain.

Tsunade grumbled, "Yeah yeah, okay then business." She said with a sigh before looking at Jiraiya, "Did they agree to go on the training trip with you?" she asked.

Jiraiya nodded and was about to reply when Kakashi and Anko appeared in her office in a poof of smoke, "Tsunade-sama!" Kakashi said before a quick bow, "There was a spy in Sasuke's house! They've been watching the house and Sasuke ever since he moved to the house." Kakashi explained.

Suddenly, the door slammed open and there stood Sakura who had dragged Tenten along behind her, "Baa-sama! The spy got away! They were in an ANBU outfit!" she said.

In through the window came Naruto and Sasuke, "Did you hear the news Baachan?!" Naruto yelled.

Everyone began talking at once until Tsunade stood up and slammed her hands on her desk, "EVERYBODY QUIET!"

Once everyone was quiet, they stared at Tsunade for a moment before a knock was heard on the door.

Everyone turned to the door as Anko opened it, in walked Pikkon and Kimimaro. They glanced around the room before Pikkon spoke, "So, I'm guessing everyone knows then?"

Tsunade sighed, "Alright, I want the situation explained to me by…" she glanced around, looking for the least hyperactive person to give her a straight answer, "Kimimaro." She said with a smile.

Kimimaro bowed before talking, "Pikkon-san discovered a possible thief in Sasuke-san's basement, he told Jiraiya-san, who told Kakashi-san. Who found Sasuke-san after his breakfast with Ayame-san, Sasuke then contacted Naruto-san, Sakura-san, Tenten-san and I and brought us to meet with Kakashi-san and Anko-san. We made contact with who was discovered to be a spy and tracked them through the district until Sakura-san, Pikkon-san and I confronted them. After we discovered they were dressed as an ANBU, Sakura delivered a blow which would have incapacitated the spy, but the spy escaped by substituting with an apparent 'ink clone.'" He said before bowing once again.

Tsunade slowly absorbed the information into her head before sighing, "So, an inside job with an ink user as the suspect." She said while resting her chin on her folded hands.

Everyone in the room waited in silence as Tsunade made her decision with a sigh, "Jiraiya, change of plans. You four are leaving tonight at sundown." She declared.

Jiraiya's eyes widened, "If you say so Tsu-chan." He said before glancing at the junior members of Squad Seven, who were looking at him with shocked expressions.

Tsunade cleared her throat, "You're all dismissed. I want a full report by both Kakashi and Kimimaro within the next few days." She said before turning to look out her window.

The room slowly emptied except for Jiraiya, Tsunade and Hani. Jiraiya spoke to explain the plan in full, "They'll come with me for three years. It'll mainly be for training, but we will be fleeing from Akatsuki since they'll be after Naruto. Also, this'll give us a chance to keep Sasuke from being watched from inside the village as well as avoid Orochimaru. And I just know that Sakura won't let me take the two of them without her." He said with a sigh.

Tsunade nodded and stared at Jiraiya with love in her eyes, feeling sad that she wouldn't see him for another three years. Feeling the tension in the room, Hani placed her hand on Tsunade's shoulder in a comforting gesture, "I will be back in two hours." She said before leaving the two to spend their last day together for the next three years.

############################

As soon as people left Tsunade's office, Naruto picked up Tenten bridal style and flew up to the bird messenger balcony. He had flown out into the afternoon air before Tenten even had her bearings again.

"Naruto-kun, where are we going?" she asked as she looked up at his sad face.

Naruto looked down at the girl in his arms and smiled ruefully, "I just wanted to spend some time with you in my arms." Naruto said as they flew high into the air, far enough that they were less than a dot in the sky over Konoha.

Naruto set Tenten on his feet, the two stood in midair, embraced in a hug as Naruto smelled Tenten's nectar like scent, "Ten-chan…" he muttered before kissing her neck lightly.

Tenten held Naruto's face to her own and stared into his eyes as they rested their foreheads against each other, "Naruto-kun, please tell me what's wrong." She whispered.

Naruto leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips, they stayed together for over a minute in the loving embrace before he pulled back and talked, "Sasuke, Sakura and I are going on another mission with Jiraiya-sensei."

Tenten knew something was definitely wrong since Naruto called Jiraiya by his name, "What's so bad about that? It's our job as ninja to do missions. I'll see you when you get back." She said as she lifted his head to face hers again.

She gasped as she saw tears in his eyes, "It's a long mission Ten-chan." He whispered.

She just stared at his tear stricken eyes, feeling her own tears fill up her eyes as she waited for the obvious answer to her unasked question, "About three years." He mumbled.

Tenten stared in shock as tears began pouring from her eyes, "Th-three years?" she whimpered as she hugged him tightly.

He nodded, "By what Baa-chan said in her office, we'll be leaving tonight instead of next week." He said sadly as he returned the hug.

Tenten and Naruto just floated in the air in silence, she let him cry out his pain while she shed her own tears. Almost a full hour later the two could finally pull themselves away from each other. They embraced in another series of kisses as Naruto began to lower them to the ground once again.

It was five minutes before the two stopped kissing and another ten before they landed ontop of the Uchiha lookout tower. Naruto set Tenten on the balcony as he stood in midair on the other side of the rails.

Tenten pulled him in for one last kiss, "This will be the last I see you then?" she asked, feeling it to be true.

Naruto looked down at the ground, "I have to go pack the travel bag. Say good-bye to Hina-chan." His mind flashed to Tayuya, "My family." He finished as he hovered backwards once again, holding onto Tenten's hand.

Tenten felt another tear drop from her eye, "I love you Naruto-kun, I will see you in two years, three hundred and sixty-four days." She said with a sad smile.

Naruto kissed her hand, "I love you too Ten-chan, I'm sorry I'm leaving, but I promise, I will be back for you." He said as a tear fell from his eye.

Tenten closed her eyes and felt as his hand let go of hers. After a few moments, she opened her eyes and cried harder as only a rose falling into her hand was left…

#############################

Naruto landed in front of the gate of the Hyuuga compound and bowed to the guards, "Hinata is training with her father today, may I please see them?" he asked.

Nine times out of ten, the Hyuuga guards would turn him away, but the sadness that was pouring off of Naruto in waves was felt by them heavily. They just stepped aside and let him enter under his own power.

A few minutes later, Naruto was walking through the garden of the Hyuuga estate on his way to the outdoor training grounds. He smiled as he heard Hinata's shouts of effort followed by Hiashi's encouragement.

Stepping onto the bridge, Naruto paused as he watched Hinata strike at her father. Hiashi pushed the attack to the side and caught her next thrust with his hand, "Enough for now, your fiancé is waiting for you." He said as he turned away.

Hinata span around and her mouth turned into a wide grin as she saw Naruto, "Naruto-kun!" she exclaimed as she ran up and glomped him.

Naruto caught her easily and span her around before sitting her on the railing of the bridge, she kissed him on the lips and smiled as they parted, "Why are y-you here Naruto-kun?" she asked happily.

Naruto couldn't help it, he smiled along with her, "I wanted to see my Hina-chan, is that so wrong of me?" he asked rhetorically.

Hinata's smile faltered and she tilted her head to the side, "N-Naruto-kun, what's wrong?" she asked, being able to read him easily.

Naruto's smile stayed, but it became small as he leant into her collarbone, "Jiraiya-sensei's mission…it's been pushed forward." Naruto explained.

Hinata sighed, "I thought it w-would be something l-like that." She said sadly as she kissed the side of Naruto's head.

She slid down off the rail and into Naruto's arms, she saw the sadness in his eyes and wanted to fix it, so she lifted her hood up and put her face to his.

Naruto looked up in confusion as Hinata lifted his hood as well, she held their hoods over them, covering them from view as she kissed him slowly and lovingly on his lips. When she pulled away, he couldn't help but smile, "Thankyou Hina-chan."

She smiled, "Even if the m-mission was moved all the way t-to tomorrow morning, i-it would be a good thing Naruto-kun. It m-means you'd be back sooner." She said from under their hoods.

Naruto twitched, "So…tonight would be even better yeah?" he asked.

Hinata stared at Naruto, her wide lavender eye meeting his sad blue orbs, she swallowed her sadness and wore a brave face for her soul mate, "O-of course, N-Naruto-kun." She said.

Naruto smiled softly and hugged her tightly to his chest, their hoods fell back slightly, letting some light into their privacy and lighting up Naruto's tear-filled eyes, though they were not flowing yet.

Seeing the true sadness on his face, she muscled up her smile and kissed the crook of his brow, "Naruto-kun, p-please don't cry, look at me." She said as she lifted his head.

Naruto's eyes met Hinata's again and he smiled as they shared another kiss, "You should get g-going Naruto-kun, I-I don't want you to be late because of me." She said as she pushed him back lightly.

Naruto stepped back with her push, "Will you wait for me Hina-chan? I don't know what I'd do without you in my life." He said softly.

Hinata smiled at the emotions he was showing, "You know the answer t-to that Naruto-kun, y-you are my l-life as much as I am a part of y-yours. I love you Naruto-kun." She said as he began rising into the air.

Naruto smiled and turned horizontal in the air, kissing her one more time on the forehead he flew up, "I love you too Hinata-chan! See you in three years!" he said before bulleting up into the air, back towards the Uchiha complex as he threw a seed into the air behind him.

Hinata watched him fly off and smiled as a flower floated down to her, she caught it and took a deep breath to get the smell. She smiled and raised a hand and waved, "Bye Naruto-kuuuuun!" she yelled happily.

##########################

Naruto touched down in the Uchiha district next to Sasuke as he walked in slowly with his hands buried deep in his pockets, "Hey Aniki." Naruto said with a sad smile as Sasuke walked up to him.

Sasuke grunted, "Hn. Have you said good bye to everyone Otouto?" he asked as the two walked along next to each other past the homeless shelters of the district, which were very full of appreciative people while most of them were out working in the market of the district.

Naruto nodded, "I guess so. You're lucky Aniki, at least Sakura-Nee-chan is coming along with us. You'll have some company." He said with a sigh.

Sasuke looked up and noticed Tayuya was walking back from the shops with a bag in each arm, "Otouto, I'm going to go pack and leave a note for Gaara and Pikkon, why don't you go and help Tayuya over there?" he asked as he nodded ahead.

Naruto looked up and smiled, "Sure thing Aniki, I won't be long!" he said as he stepped forward with an air stomp, propelling him to land next to the shocked Tayuya.

"What the fuck Naru-kun?!" she yelled as she almost dropped her groceries.

Naruto swiftly grabbed the bags from her and hooked his arm with hers, "Since when am I 'Naru-kun?' Tayu-chan?" he said with a chuckle.

Tayuya smirked lightly, "Yeah whatever, you are now." She said as she pulled him lightly to slow down his walking pace.

Naruto noticed this and raised a brow, "You okay?" he asked.

Tayuya nodded, "Yeah I guess…I heard the news from Kin." She muttered.

Naruto sighed, "Damn, I wanted a not so serious moment." He said as he smiled down at Tayuya.

Tayuya decided to drop pretence and rested her head on Naruto's shoulder, "I'll miss you Naru-kun." She said softly.

Naruto's brow rose at her behaviour, "Tayu-chan?"

Tayuya looked up at Naruto from her place on his shoulder, "The reason I joined this village was because of you Naru-kun. It… well it's pretty fucked up that you're leaving so soon." She complained.

He laughed at her behaviour before wrapping her in a one armed hug, "Tayu-chan, I'll be back. We Uzumaki have to stick together yeah?" he said with a grin.

Tayuya stood back tall and leaned into his hug to return it, "That we do Naru-kun." She said before smirking, "I didn't realise since you're usually flying all the time, I'm taller than you." She said.

Naruto frowned as Tayuya laughed, "Yeah, so what? You're like two years older than me!" he said, causing Tayuya to just laugh louder.

They stopped outside the steps to the girls' house and turned to face each other, Naruto held out the shopping bags with a wide smile, "Well, I'll see you in three years Tayu-chan." He said happily.

Tayuya's heart skipped a beat at his open armed stance and his smile, she just let instinct take over her as she stepped between his arms and the shopping bags and kissed him full on the lips.

Naruto's eyes widened as her arms closed around his neck, deepening the kiss without any movement on his part. Tayuya stepped away and took the bags from Naruto's out stretched arms, she began walking up the steps to the house as she called over her shoulder, "When you come back to me you'll get much more than that Naru-kun!" she called as she disappeared into the entryway of the house.

Naruto stood in silence for a moment and blinked owlishly, "T-T-Tayu-chan?" he stuttered out before turning to look at the house. Unknown to him, she was watching him through a gap in the main door.

Naruto jumped into the air with a cheer and cupped his hands to his mouth, "Just you wait Tayu-chan! I swear I'll be back! We'll bring the next generation of Uzumaki!" he said with a loud laugh before flying over to the boys' house and entering. Not noticing Tayuya's blushing but grinning face as she finally closed the door fully and walked to the kitchen.

###########################

"You guys ready?" Jiraiya asked as he stood in front of the main gates of Konoha, the sun setting behind the trees.

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura nodded, "Hai Sensei!" they said in unison.

Jiraiya smirked lightly, "Did you guys say all of your goodbyes? I don't want you to be all mopey for the whole of the trip."

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, I said my goodbyes." He said as he turned and looked from one side of the village to the other, thinking of his two -now three- girls. He smiled, 'I'll be back for you.' He thought happily as he turned to his brother and sister.

They were holding hands as they turned from the village, "We're ready to go sensei." Sakura said with a smile while Sasuke just grunted in agreement.

Jiraiya turned and knocked on the massive gate, creaking was heard and the gate began to open, he raised an arm. "Ready?"

Sakura's legs glowed rainbow before Radical Good Speed appeared, she stood on one leg as the other foot bounced from the pent up energy, "Ready!"

Sasuke unclipped a capsule from his belt and threw it on the ground, he was covered in a poof of smoke only to appear standing with one foot on his hover board, "Ready!"

Naruto flipped his hood over his head and his clothes changed black, he sent wind chakra through the tubing in his legs and rose into the air as he blinked his sight seal on to keep up with high speeds, it glowed red on his face being the only thing other than his mouth and eyes visible under the shade of his hood, "Ready!"

Jiraiya smirked as he summoned a speed toad to travel upon, he talked as he pointed forward to the North, "Alright! Let's move out!"

And in a burst of speed, skill and power. Chunnin Squad Seven disappeared alongside the legendary Toad sage for three years of advanced training, and blackbook missions.

#############################

Chapter end.

**Thanks everyone for reading my story! I'd love to know what you think of the story, my writing style, ideas for part 2, etc.  
Just so you know, I will come back to do part 2 of this story. I will go back and edit the earlier chapters for spelling mistakes, grammar, making it clearer etc. I won't change the story so nothing will be missed, but I may add some little things.  
The plan is that I start up Part 2 by the end of May. Though sorry if I'm a bit off on the plans.**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

PART ONE  
END.


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